Food security threat looms as 61,682 acres of rice fields destroyed in Sri Lanka

As many as 62,141 acres of cultivated lands, mostly rice, have been destroyed mainly due to the dry spell and heavy rains that followed triggering concerns about food security in case the upcoming Maha season fails, an official said.

According to the statistics compiled by the Agriculture Ministry by last Saturday, 61,682 acres of rice fields were destroyed either due to the dry spell in some areas and the floods in others. Sri Lanka experienced heavy rain such as Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Western and Central Provinces after a prolonged dry spell.

Ministry Secretary Gunadasa Samarasinghe told that the rice stocks available in the country would be sufficient till January, next year, and therefore the harvest of the upcoming Maha season was crucial.