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The Ministry of Agriculture has decided to prepare an integrated plan for the cultivation of approaching Maha season and then Yala season by considering the upcoming weather conditions.
Accordingly, a special discussion was held today (29) with the participation of all the relevant sectors at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Research and Training Institute. Many officials representing all the sectors including the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Department of Irrigation, Department of Meteorology, Department of Agrarian Development and Mahaweli Authority have participated in this discussion which was chaired by Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera Hon. Minister of Agriculture.
It has been assumed that there will be a large-scale rainfall in the coming Maha season especially due to the current weather changes. Sometimes this situation can develop even to a flood situation, a dry weather condition may occur again in the next Yala season due to the impact of this El Nino process.
Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera Hon. Minister of Agriculture, participating to this occasion, has mentioned that by considering these facts and managing the rain water received to the maximum extent, the farmers should be directed to start farming activities at the right time.
The Minister has mentioned that therefore, the production of food needed by the country should be done within the country itself and it is essential to inform the farmers regarding the prevailing weather conditions. There will be no need to import rice till the end of this year. However, as the government does not have rice and paddy reserves, a situation of increasing the price of rice may occur. Therefore, the Minister has also mentioned that the government should implement a program to control the rise in the price of rice with the aim of protecting the consumer.
The Minister has also mentioned in here that neither the farmers nor officials are formally informed about the El Nino process and the public awareness about weather changes should be more extensive.
