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Sri Lanka’s tropical agriculture—vital for millions of rural farmers—is now buckling under erratic weather. Record heatwaves, unexpected floods, and crushing droughts have become the new normal recently. In the island’s dry-zone farming districts, once-reliable crops like cashew are suffering badly. Cashew trees normally bloom in January–February, but farmers report that shifting rains now “come during the flowering stage” and devastate the nuts. As a result, harvests have plummeted, forcing many cultivators to abandon long-planted cashew groves. Sri Lanka’s newspaper Sunday Times recently reported that cashew farmers in Wanaathawilluwa, Sri Lanka, are abandoning the cashew farms and shifting to some other crops like coconut due to harmful impacts of climate change.
Changing Weather Patterns of SL
Agriculture in Sri Lanka has always danced to the tune of the monsoon, but the beat is rapidly changing. Over the last 50 years national average temperatures and rainfall have been rising , and models project more extreme heat and seasonal swings. Under a high-emissions pathway, climate forecasts show Sri Lanka heating by an additional 0.5–1.1 °C in coming decades, with summer days over 35 °C stretching by months . Meanwhile, scientists warn that monsoon rains will become less predictable, intensifying floods in wet regions and drought in the dry zone . Indeed, 2017-2018 brought catastrophic floods and droughts while Sri Lanka was ranked among the worst-hit globally in 2017, and 2023 saw the El Niño-driven summer monsoon collapse entirely, leaving fields parched from May through October . In short, erratic extremes – not benign average change – define Sri Lanka’s climate challenge.
How Does Climate Change Impact the Cashew Industry of Sri Lanka?
These swings are already crippling the cashew crop. Sri Lanka’s cashew sector is centered in its arid northwest and northeast—regions that now see long dry spells punctuated by sudden downpours. Farmers describe the result: blooms rot under torrential off-season rains, then seedlings and young nuts fry in heat without water. Two years ago, Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation’s then chair, Saranga Ratnayake explains to the Morning newspaper , “Cashew flowers bloom from January to February, but this has become a challenge due to the rain… crops could no longer grow, causing cultivation to drop” . He reported that the 2021 harvest fell 40% below normal due to these weather shocks . National data back this up: ready-to-eat cashew output plunged from about 5,396 tonnes in 2019 to only 1,579 tonnes in 2021 .More details can be read here
Behind these numbers lie desperate livelihoods. Cashew cultivation and processing has long been a critical cash income for smallholders in districts like Puttalam, Mannar and Hambantota. The sudden collapse of the crop is spreading pain through rural communities. Factories that shell imported nuts ,a mainly female workforce, are running idle for lack of raw cashews . As some reports warned, “thousands of jobs”– from field to processing plant – are at risk if supplies don’t resume . Bank loans taken to buy equipment lie unpaid; families that thrived on cashew sales now struggle to feed themselves.
What does SL Cashew Cooperation say?
The Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation (SLCC) is the government institution responsible for cashew cultivation in Sri Lanka.
Climate Fact Checks contacted Ajith Wijetunga, Research Director of the SLCC, to understand how climate change is affecting cashew cultivation in the country. He stated that climate change has had a significant impact on cashew plantations. According to him, Sri Lanka experienced extraordinary heat conditions about two to three years ago, which severely affected cashew production.
He explained that the SLCC conducted a joint research study with the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. The study found that high temperatures negatively affected the activity of insects and pollinators of cashew plants. During periods of extreme heat, pollinators were less active, leading to a significant drop in yields.
As part of a controlled experiment, researchers artificially introduced bees to cashew plants. The results showed nearly a 100 percent increase in yield, highlighting the critical role of pollinators in cashew production.
Wijetunga also noted that the SLCC has introduced several new cashew varieties that are drought-resistant and better adapted to changing climate conditions. However, he admitted that the corporation has not conducted sufficient research on the broader impacts of climate change on cashew cultivation and that more studies are urgently needed.
He further expressed concern that the government’s decision to liquidate the SLCC could negatively affect ongoing and future research related to cashew cultivation and climate resilience.
A Regional Issue
Research confirms that Sri Lanka’s plight is not unique but follows a worrying trend in the region. A 2022 global crop model found that major cashew zones of South and Southeast Asia – including Sri Lanka – are projected to lose climate suitability as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift . In plain terms, warmer nights and drier spells shorten the growing season, and any unusual downpour at flowering knocks nuts off the tree. Even the cashew’s deep roots can’t save it from this new variability. One recent review noted that cashew plantations are now “particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and cyclones,” with heat and rain swings hitting the trees’ flowering and fruiting hard .Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s overall climate stats are grim: the Global Climate Risk Index places Sri Lanka near the top of vulnerable countries, where flash floods and droughts are now “much higher and more frequent” than in comparable nations . The north and northwest – home to much of the cashew land – are identified as “hidden climate hotspots” at especially high risk .
The Future of Cashews in Sri Lanka Amidst Climate Challenges
The science is clear: if global heating reaches 1.5–2 °C ,well within current trajectories, Sri Lanka will see longer dry seasons and more days over 40 °C . Crops like cashew will need climate-smart agriculture to survive. Experts suggest measures such as developing heat- and drought-tolerant cashew varieties, expanding irrigation in dry zones, and even agroforestry ,growing shade trees alongside cashew,) to buffer heat stress . Water-conserving practices – mulching, drip irrigation and harvested rainwater – must become common. Early-warning weather forecasts and crop insurance can help farmers prepare or cope. Lists of these strategies appear in official plans, but implementation has been slow.
What Has the Government of SL Done?
The Sri Lankan governments have not been blind to these challenges. A National Adaptation Plan (2016) explicitly names agriculture—including export crops like cashew – among the sectors “critically affected” by temperature rise and rainfall shifts . A $38 million UNDP/Green Climate Fund project launched in recent years is upgrading dry-zone irrigation and strengthening climate forecasting for village farms . In principle, resources exist for building resilience. But on the ground, progress is uneven. As one analyst put it, Sri Lanka’s climate policies “did not fully recognize the severity” of impacts on farmers . In practice, bureaucratic bottlenecks have even hampered emergency fixes. For example, imported raw nuts must be licensed, and licensing delays in late 2025 left plants idle and workers unpaid, even as shortages soared .
Policymakers are now under pressure to catch up. In parliament and the media, stakeholders are pushing a suite of remedies:
- Diversify and Intensify Irrigation
- Climate-Resilient Planting
- Improved Weather Forecasts and Support
- Extension and Training
The stakes are high. Global demand for cashews is booming, and Sri Lanka’s nuts are prized for their taste.With climate impacts intensifying, the country faces a stark choice: either bolster this sector with climateproofing investments, or see a once‐thriving cash crop fade. Sri Lanka’s newly elected government has included “environmental justice” and sustainable farming in its agenda . Going forward, analysts will be watching whether promise turns into real support – from better rural infrastructure to effective extension services – so that smallholder farmers can adapt before their orchards dry up entirely.
References:
https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/sri-lankas-climate-exodus
https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/conflict/climate-impact-profile-sri-lanka
https://www.themorning.lk/articles/etqM80954vjGdWt3xnFP
Cashew Shortage Sparks Job Loss Fears Across Processing Communities
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261976
https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/NAP-Sri-Lanka-2016.pdf
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