COLOMBO, Aug 17 (NNN-XINHUA) – About 37,000 acres of rice fields have been affected in Sri Lanka, by the prevailing dry weather, Agriculture Minister, Mahinda Amaraweera, said yesterday.
The minister told the media that, the rice fields were mainly in the Southern and North-Western provinces, and the damage would be assessed, to compensate the farmers.
Rice is the staple food of Sri Lanka and is cultivated in two seasons a year, in the country.
According to the country’s meteorological agency, the dry spell is expected to continue till the end of Sept.– NNN-XINHUA
