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Only a quarter of parched fields will yield rice
Only a quarter of paddy fields can be used for cultivation this Yala season due to the drought, a senior Agricultural Ministry official warned this week. His warning came as the dry zones continue to remain desiccated and paddy farmers look for alternatives to keep their livelihood alive. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. D.M.N. Dissanayaka, said that the paddy production of 2.44 million metric tons from the recent Maha season had not met the demand for rice consumption in the country.Rice imports would have to be made to meet demand and keep down prices.
He said the water levels of all reservoirs and other schemes had dropped to about 37 per cent by this week and were continuing to fall due to evaporation.The existing ratio of water allocated for cultivation was inadequate not only for paddy but for other similar crops too, Dr. Dissanayaka said. Yet allocations for energy and other utilities remained unchanged.
The main reason for the drought situation was deforestation, he said.“Farmers and consumers have a great responsibility in understanding the gravity of the situation and acting in unity upon it. Farmers have enough knowledge and experience to be ready to face such situations and prepare for the worst as it comes,” said Dr. Dissanayaka.
He criticised the current paddy yield forecasts from the Yala season and said the ministry had begun to collect information from each district to prepare a more reliable forecast.He mentioned that the ministry is hoping to encourage and expand paddy cultivation in the wet zone to increase production this Yala season.
In the dry zone, promoting alternative crops such as soya, big onion, chillies, grains, and vegetables which require less water, can help farmers to overcome the hardships being caused by drought, added Dr. Dissanayaka.Kurunegala District Secretary, H.M.P. Hettisekara, said Yala paddy production in his area will fall drastically if the drought continued. He said officials have encouraged farmers to cultivate alternative crops such as green gram and other grains in the district as the water levels in major and minor water irrigation schemes are very low.
“We are looking at 20 – 30 per cent of paddy cultivation in Kurunegala, he added.
Ampara District Secretary, Mr. Neel de Alwis said that only 50 per cent of paddy fields in his area would be cultivated due to low water supplies.
He said farmers and district officials held meetings and agreed not to overuse the amount of water left in major and minor schemes and to cultivate only half the fields.He said the price of the paddy had been raised to Rs. 40 per kilo by private merchants due to production being slashed in in half but added that imports would keep prices from increasing much further.
Anuradhapura District Secretary Mahinda Senevirathne said paddy cultivation in the district had been severely affected as the water levels of the major schemes, exepting the Rajanganaya scheme, had fallen drastically in the past few months.“Out of the whole extent of land for paddy cultivation, only 50 per cent can be cultivated due to the drought, and we hopefully wait for the weather to change,” he said.
Officials had taken initiatives to remove sediment from all the dried-out irrigation schemes and prepare the tanks for a “hopeful” rainfall for the next season.