Attachments
The ongoing multidimensional crisis is an enormous threat to national food production system. Increased cost of agricultural inputs and fuel continue to adversely impact on lives and livelihoods of agriculture dependent communities and fishers. Consequently, the supply of food in local markets is shrinking.
The Maha 2022-23 planting season (the main planting season) is over and about 80 percent of the target land was sown. Though there is improvement in availability of fertilizer, access by farmers remain constrained. Poor smallholder farmers still find it difficult to procure the commodity, even at the subsidized prices. This, coupled with continued shortage of herbicides and insecticides, will most likely undermine the potential yield of Maha 2022-23 cropping season by over 25 percent. Yala and Maha crop production typically accounts for about 15 months of rice output in the country. Following these setbacks, the expected production in 2022 may only be about 10 months of rice.