A prolonged drought in seven southern districts for three consecutive seasons leading to crop failure has affected 1.6 million people and has caused more than 300 000 farmers to become food insecure. The majority of the victims are landless labourers, small-scale farmers and subsistence farming families. Many subsistence farmers have almost completely lost the Maha (wet) and Yala (dry) 2000 crop and the Yala (2001) crops, according to an FAO Drought Assessment and Project Formulation Mission. In Hambantota district alone, paddy cultivation has dropped from 49 000 hectares to 27 000 hectares , a fall of 45 percent. The paddy yield in rain-fed areas has also declined from 2.5 tonnes per hectare to 0.8 tonnes per hectare.
A locally organized FAO/WFP Food Needs Assessment Mission in early September highlighted the food insecurity of the 300,000 most affected people and recommended immediate food assistance. A supplementary feeding programme was also recommended in order to maintain the nutritional status of the most vulnerable groups. International food assistance will be targeted to the 300,000 beneficiaries who are considered the most vulnerable in the eleven targeted divisions in the three most seriously affected districts: Hambantota, Moneragala and Ratnapura.

Planting of the Maha (monsoon) crops started in October. The Maha crop production is expected to be around 1.6 million tonnes (1.1 million tonnes on milled basis) in 2001. The Yala planting takes place in April, with harvesting in September. The total paddy production for 2001 is forecast at 2.6 million tonnes (1.8 million tonnes on milled basis).

For the year 2001, cereal imports are estimated at 1.1 million tonnes. Around 56 000 tonnes of cereals, mainly wheat, have been received in food aid out of total pledges of around 115 000 tonnes by the international community.