Paddy farmers in the Ampara District have been facing difficulties due to heavy rains in the region since last Wednesday evening. They said they are unable to sell their harvest since the wet weather has destroyed them.
The harvesting of paddy for the Yala 2020 season has begun in the Ampara District. Farmers said they are compelled to postpone harvesting due to the rains. A sudden change in the weather was observed in the Eastern coastal areas recently. Paddy is cultivated in 180,000 acres in the Ampara District.
Farmers also said they can reap a better harvest this time compared to the previous seasons. Meanwhile, in certain areas, the paddy crops were affected by the brown plant hopper (BPH) –Arakotty disease. Therefore, the yield from those areas are expected to be low.