Sri Lanka Food Security Concerns Persist Amid Weather Disruptions

Sri Lanka's food security situation remains precarious, with stressed outcomes expected in the wet zone and urban areas through January 2027. The country's poor households rely heavily on purchased food due to limited own-production and informal incomes. Weather-related disruptions, including above-average rainfall, localized flooding, and strong winds, have temporarily affected livelihoods, particularly in upcountry plantation areas and coastal communities. In the dry zone, minimal outcomes are expected in September, but deterioration to stressed outcomes is anticipated from October to January. The 2026 yala harvest is expected to be above-average, but household food stocks are expected to tighten later in the year. Weather-related disruptions and seasonal market dependence are expected to constrain food access in dry-zone areas from October.