Govt. estimates rice production drop of 435,000 MT

• Number likely to cross half a million tonnes countrywide  
• Seed paddy shortage also expected next year
• 1.2 million people affected in 17 districts, aid being distributed
• 200,000 people have no access to drinking water in Kalutara  

By Himal Kotelawala

Warning of more bad news to come, the latest estimates by the Agriculture Department point to a drop of over half a million metric tonnes in paddy yield countrywide this Maha season due to prevailing drought conditions.

The Government Information Department said yesterday that of the previously estimated 1.87 million metric tonnes of total paddy collected islandwide, only 1.32 metric tonnes will be harvested. In the districts hit hardest by the drought, there is expected to be a drop of over 435,000 metric tonnes of paddy with the number topping half a million tonnes countrywide. 

Department of Agriculture Director General Dr. Rohan Wijekoon speaking to Daily FT confirmed the 1.3 million figure. 

“Only 535,000 out of the proposed 800,000 hectares had been cultivated. The projected 1.3 million metric tonnes of paddy, however, should provide enough rice for five months,” he said.

This year’s Yala season and the 2017/2018 Maha season will be significantly affected by the ongoing drought due to a projected shortage of seed paddy for cultivation in the two periods in question. The Government says it has taken measures to rework abandoned paddy fields in the low country wet zone to overcome this predicament.

Over 1.2 million people in 17 districts have been affected by the drought. Up to 10,000 metric tonnes and 5,000 metric tonnes of rice received as aid from the governments of Pakistan and Indonesia respectively are currently being distributed among families affected.

More than half a million people are also facing a severe shortage of drinking water in 13 districts covering seven provinces. According to a statement released by the Government, some 2,370 thousand-litre water tanks have been distributed among the affected families at a cost of Rs. 18.5 million, and efforts are underway to purchase an additional 3,000 tanks. Water sources are reportedly under threat of disappearing due to lands containing natural water springs catching fire.

The Kalutara District has been particularly hard hit by the drought, with over 200,000 residents not having access to drinking water. To make matters worse, seawater has seeped into garden wells and other fresh water sources in some areas in the district.

The status quo is expected to have a negative impact on the country’s economic growth. 

Central Environmental Authority Director General K. H. Muthukuda Arachchi told Daily FT that a seawater intrusion was indeed taking place in Kalutara, contaminating the drinking water supply, aggravated by the ongoing drought.

Offering some hope, Muthukuda Arachchi said that convectional rains can be expected in about two weeks’ time that will likely change weather patterns, but it won’t be till May that the southwest monsoon arrives, bringing much needed relief.

An increase in water levels in freshwater bodies due to the monsoon rains, said the Director General, will likely stop the saltwater intrusion.