The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, the Government of Australia and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Monday launched a AUD 2 million (approximately USD 1.4 million) recovery initiative to restore vegetable production systems in the cyclone-affected highland districts of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla.
The 12-month project will directly benefit more than 2,400 smallholder farmers through improved seed and seedling production systems, small machinery, training and stronger market linkages, with a particular focus on women farmers and persons with disabilities. Thousands more are expected to benefit indirectly.
Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka in November 2025 and caused an estimated $4.1 billion in damage, severely disrupted upcountry agricultural production. Nuwara Eliya and Badulla — key suppliers of beans, carrots, leeks, cabbage, tomato and potato — were among the hardest hit, with thousands of smallholder farmers losing crops, seed stocks and productive assets.
The project aims to rebuild climate-resilient production systems in the two districts, both Newswire and NewsFirst reported. The grant agreement was formalised through a signing by the Australian High Commissioner alongside FAO and Sri Lankan officials.
The bilateral push follows a series of post-Ditwah recovery measures, including CRIB credit relief for affected borrowers and a compensation priority framework for households still rebuilding more than five months after the storm.
