COLOMBO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- About 37,000 acres of rice fields have been affected in Sri Lanka by the prevailing dry weather, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said on Wednesday.
The minister told the media that the rice fields were mainly in the Southern and North-Western provinces and the damage would be assessed for compensating farmers.
Rice is the staple food of Sri Lanka and is cultivated in two seasons a year in the South Asian country.
According to the country's meteorological agency, the dry spell is expected to continue till the end of September. ■