Sri Lanka named priority country in U.S. Food for Progress funding for 2026

Programme designed to modernise and strengthen agricultural sectors Sri Lanka to benefit from a new pool of cooperative agreements

- By NISHEL FERNANDO

The United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service has officially designated Sri Lanka as a priority country for its Food for Progress programme in the upcoming 2026 fiscal year.

This inclusion paves the way for Sri Lanka to benefit from a new pool of cooperative agreements, with the U.S. government anticipating the global award of up to USD 226 million, or approximately Rs. 72.24 billion, under this specific initiative to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade. The Food for Progress programme is designed to modernise and strengthen agricultural sectors in developing nations and is set to disburse these funds through comprehensive five-year projects. Individual project values are expected to range between USD 28 million and USD 35 million, translating to roughly Rs. 8.95 billion to Rs. 11.18 billion each.

Sri Lanka joins a select group of priority nations for this programme, sharing the developmental designation with Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ecuador, Morocco, the Philippines, and Thailand.