29/06/2024
The major challenges faced by the agriculture sector in Sri Lanka include:
1. **Climate Change**: Erratic weather patterns, including droughts and floods, have severely affected crop production.
2. **Water Management**: Inconsistent water supply and inefficient irrigation systems lead to poor water resource management.
3. **Land Degradation**: Soil erosion, deforestation, and improper land use practices reduce arable land quality.
4. **Pest and Disease Control**: Increased incidence of pests and diseases affecting crops, often due to climate change and lack of effective pest management strategies.
5. **Labor Shortage**: Migration of rural population to urban areas results in a shortage of agricultural labor.
6. **Infrastructure Deficiencies**: Inadequate transportation, storage, and market facilities hamper the efficiency of agricultural supply chains.
7. **High Production Costs**: Rising costs of inputs like fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides make farming less profitable.
8. **Financial Constraints**: Limited access to credit and financial services restricts farmers’ ability to invest in modern agricultural practices and technologies.
9. **Policy and Institutional Issues**: Inconsistent agricultural policies, lack of effective implementation, and bureaucratic hurdles pose significant challenges.
10. **Market Access and Price Volatility**: Farmers often face difficulties accessing markets and dealing with price fluctuations, affecting their income stability.
11. **Technological Adoption**: Slow adoption of modern farming techniques and technologies due to lack of awareness, training, and resources.
12. **Biodiversity Loss**: Reduction in agricultural biodiversity due to the focus on monoculture crops and overuse of chemical inputs.
