COLOMBO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- More than 47,000 acres of rice fields have been destroyed by dry weather in Sri Lanka, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said on Tuesday.
However, it will not lead to a rice shortage in the local market since sufficient stocks are available at the moment, the minister told reporters.
Rice is the staple food of the South Asian country and is cultivated in two seasons annually.
The minister added that over 503,000 hectares (about 1,242,940 acres) of paddy fields have been cultivated in the current season, and harvesting is now in progress.
Sri Lanka meteorology department has forecasted that the dry weather will continue till the end of next month except for a few showers experienced daily in some parts of the island. ■