FINANCIAL CHRONICLE — Authorities in Sri Lanka have advised farmers to complete their sowing activities by mid-October in anticipation of heavy rainfall and to prepare for a dry spell influenced by El Niño conditions expected early next year. The country aims to cultivate approximately 830,000 hectares of paddy during the upcoming 2026/27 Maha season.
This guidance comes in light of meteorological predictions forecasting above-normal rainfall across the island during October and November, attributed to ongoing El Niño conditions and a favorable Indian Ocean Dipole. However, a significant reduction in rainfall is anticipated starting in January as temperatures rise.
G. G. Wickramasinghe, the Director General of the Department of Agriculture, has urged farmers to commence land preparation without delay, taking advantage of late September rains, and to complete sowing between October 15 and October 25. Early sowing will allow crops to mature sufficiently before the heavy rains in November, minimizing the risk of flood damage and enabling the harvesting of 3.5-month varieties by late January, prior to the onset of the dry season. Wickramasinghe emphasized the importance of maintaining strict water management this season to ensure a successful Yala season in 2027.
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To optimize water usage, the department recommends that farmers avoid cultivating long-duration paddy varieties and instead implement Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) irrigation techniques, developed by the Rice Research and Development Institute in Batalagoda, which can save approximately three full irrigation cycles. “After planting, keep the field flooded for about two weeks, then gradually allow the water to decrease over the following two weeks,” advised Wickramasinghe.
In addition, A.L.K. Wijemannage, the Director General of the Department of Meteorology in Sri Lanka, noted that the World Meteorological Organization has projected a near-100 percent likelihood that the El Niño phenomenon will continue until February, likely peaking between October and November. “As we move into next year—especially in January, February, and March—temperatures are expected to rise while rainfall will decrease, ushering in a notably dry and warm phase,” Wijemannage stated.
To safeguard water resources and reduce costly imports, the Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers in areas facing water shortages to shift from paddy cultivation to Other Field Crops (OFCs) such as maize, green gram, cowpea, and finger millet. Farmers who transition to OFCs on paddy land will still qualify for fertilizer subsidies.
