Farmers’ organisations in Sri Lanka have raised concerns over a growing exodus from the agriculture sector, stating that escalating production costs are forcing farmers to abandon staple crops and could open the door to foreign agribusiness interests.
The National Agrarian Unity organisation says critical sectors such as paddy, potato, green gram, black-eyed pea, corn, and particularly big onion farming, are under severe strain.
Its president, Anuradha Thennakoon, has called on the Government to urgently slash input costs and introduce support mechanisms to prevent further collapse.
Thennakoon highlighted the plight of big onion farmers, who have been squeezed out of the market due to cheap imports and rising production expenses.
“A decade ago, local farmers met around 85% of the country’s big onion requirement. Today, it’s barely 5–10%,” he said.
In key growing areas like Dambulla, Sigiriya, and Galewela, he said farmers are abandoning big onion cultivation entirely, shifting to other crops or leaving farming altogether.
He urged the Government to implement immediate tax relief on agricultural equipment, reduce fertiliser and seed costs, and establish guaranteed distribution channels through supermarkets and state outlets like Sathosa to stabilise the sector.
Without intervention, Thennakoon warned, vast swathes of farmland could be left idle — raising concerns that large foreign firms may step in to lease land on a long-term basis.
“Farmers are leaving. The risk now is that these lands may be snapped up by foreign agricultural companies,” he added.
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