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Price of rice set to rise after drought destroys 50,000 acres of farmland
Paddy cultivation faced with severe shortage of water
More than 50,000 acres of paddy and agricultural land have been destroyed due to the drought, according to estimates so far, Agricultural Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told the Sunday Times.
The dip in paddy production is likely to have an impact on rice prices in the future, he warned.
At least 13 districts have been adversely affected by the drought, causing crop damage, a scarcity of drinking water, the withering of vegetation, the deaths of wild animals, and forest fires.
“The estimates on crop damages are increasing daily as crops get destroyed due to heat and the scarcity of water,’’ Mr Amaraweera said. “Currently, we will not face a shortage of food as there are buffer stocks of paddy with rice millers and farmers to feed the country till the end of the year.’’
A woman digs up lotus roots for food in a dried up reservoir Pic by Jayaratne Wickramaarachchi
He said there was no requirement to import rice for the time being.
However, he warned that as the Paddy Marketing Board did not have large buffer stocks, millers would use the situation to push for an increase in paddy prices.
Mr Amaraweera said that according to the Meteorology Department’s predictions, heavy rains were likely from October to November. He advised the farmers to cultivate the next season, targeting the rain.
The Irrigation Department warned that after releasing water for the 900,000 acres of paddy lands for the upcoming week, there would be nearly no water left for drinking purposes.
Meanwhile, Irrigation Director General A. Gunasekara said that they had already informed the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) to provide water to people who depend on tanks for water.
He said that after releasing water from larger irrigation tanks, the water levels of the tanks would remain above 20%, while the smaller tanks in areas such as Kurunegala would remain below 10%.
The Meteorology Department warned the drought would last until October. Heavy rains are expected between October and November.
Udawalawa Reservoir Pix by Jayantha Nanayakkara
Duty meteorologist Preethika Jayathilake explained that, though it is the southwest monsoon season, much less rain could be expected during the month. She added that at the end of the month, the Uva Province and areas in Eastern Province would receive a few showers and thundershowers during the evenings, but that would be insufficient to end the prevailing condition.
She added that even though there would also be a few showers in the Badulla and Bandarawela areas, they would be insufficient to retain water in catchment areas.
She explained that the prevailing weather condition had occurred due to an El Nino condition caused by the rise in temperature on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. (The condition, which affects the world globally, would create increased rainfall in certain parts of the world while causing some areas to face droughts.)
The DMC Director General, retired Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, said they were currently providing water for the people and engaging in activities with the three forces to douse forest fires.
He said that they had deployed 140 water bowsers to provide drinking water to the affected people.
The deputy director general (technical services) at the Mahaweli Authority, Nilantha Danapala, said that 90% of the water supply for irrigation had been completed, and therefore releasing water would end soon.
This would mean that the release of water for power generation would also be halted thereafter.
Hydropower generation, too, has dropped due to the drought, causing the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to purchase emergency power from private power suppliers.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has approved the purchase of 100 megawatts from private power generators for six months.
The PUCSL has given the approval under three conditions: conduct an independent audit after completing the agreement, activate the 220kW cable system via the Kothmale-Polpitiya area before August 31 next year, and purchase power at the minimum cost.
However, the expenditure on power purchases has not been estimated so far.
| No payouts for deliberate destruction | |
| Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said compensation will not be given to farmers who set fire to paddy lands, hay, and withered crops.”We do not tolerate forest fires during this drought, and we would not hesitate to give compensation for crop damage even if the farmers allowed cows to feed on the paddy fields destroyed due to drought,” he said.He said the officials would be able to observe crop damage due to the drought. “The farmers can set fire to harvested paddy land and burn hay and claim compensation, so we decided that we will not pay compensation for farmlands set on fire.’’ |
As resevoirs run dry paddy cultivation is taking a hit
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