The farmers in the Monaragala district are
facing difficulties as over 10,000 acres of paddy land in the
Maha season have been infested with pests.
Around 50,000 acres of paddy have been
cultivated under major and minor irrigation systems in Athimalee,
Madu Kandiya, Wilamaya Handapanagala, Kumbukkan Oya, Maha Ela,
Uda Arawa and Palwatta areas, where more than 10,000 acres have
been destroyed due to pests.
The Agricultural Instructor of Okkampitiya A. W.
S. P. Bandaranayake attributing this to the prevailing weather
instructed farmers to take preventive measures.
The Agricultural Instructor in Buttala, A. M.
Karunarathna said that around 6,500 hectares of paddy land had
been affected by pests and fungus.
The seed paddy farm in Okkampitiya has also been
affected and due to soaring prices of pesticides.
The farmers have taken to traditional methods of
controlling pests. They have requested the authorities to supply
pesticides at subsidised rates and expressed their concern that
the spread of diseases could cause a dearth of seed paddy in Uva
in the near future.
