> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Sri Lanka Braces for Food Supply Disruptions as El Niño May Curb Indian Exports
- URL: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/sri-lanka-braces-for-food-supply-disruptions-as-el-nino-may-curb-indian-exports/
- Published: 2026-08-27T13:51:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-27T13:51:49.000Z
- Author: Our Reporter
- Tags: August 2026, Monitor Memo

**COLOMBO, Sri Lanka —** Sri Lanka is drawing up contingency plans to guard against disruptions to essential food imports from India, as the anticipated return of El Niño raises fears that adverse weather could damage Indian agricultural output and prompt New Delhi to restrict exports, a government minister said.

R.M. Jayawardena, the deputy minister of trade, commerce and food security, said officials were examining how the country should respond if India- -one of its most important sources of food imports- -moves to limit or suspend exports of key commodities.

"We are considering what measures should be taken if El Niño affects India's agriculture and production and creates difficulties for us in obtaining goods," Mr. Jayawardena said.

The matter was discussed at a recent meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Mr. Jayawardena said. No final decisions were reached, but officials are continuing to weigh measures to protect domestic supplies, he added.

The government is also moving to bolster domestic production. As part of its preparations, Sri Lanka plans to begin cultivation for the coming Maha paddy season about a month earlier than usual, an effort to reduce the risk of shortages in the domestic rice market.

Sri Lanka relies on India for a wide range of food imports, and disruptions there can quickly reverberate across the Palk Strait. That dependence was laid bare during Sri Lanka's economic crisis, when a foreign-currency shortage severely constrained imports and helped drive food prices sharply higher.

India, for its part, has repeatedly turned to export controls when domestic food supplies or prices have come under pressure — measures that can ripple well beyond its borders given its scale as an agricultural producer and exporter.

The renewed concern centers on El Niño, a recurring climate pattern marked by unusually warm waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. Its effects vary by region, but it can disrupt rainfall patterns and agricultural production across parts of Asia.

Mr. Jayawardena said forecasts had put the probability of El Niño developing between June and August at 80 percent, rising to 90 percent between September and December.

For Sri Lanka, the risk is not simply that El Niño could hurt its own harvests. A significant disruption to Indian agriculture could expose the country to a second source of pressure: reduced availability, or outright restrictions, in the very market it depends on to fill gaps in domestic supply.

By weighing contingency measures before any restrictions materialize, the government is signaling an intent to avoid being caught unprepared should regional food supplies tighten.

Officials have not yet detailed what those measures might involve — whether larger buffer stocks, a broader range of suppliers, or a temporary increase in imports from other countries. Mr. Jayawardena said discussions were continuing.