The Agriculture Ministry is holding discussions at the moment to commence Maha season cultivation two weeks earlier than usual as a strategy to cope with the upcoming El Niño conditions.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (22), Deputy Agriculture Minister Namal Karunarathne said that officials have already identified this as an appropriate method and are continuing discussions with other relevant parties before final confirmation. “With this approach, the necessity of supplying fertiliser and water at the correct time also arises. Hence, discussions are being held with the relevant departments and parties to issue those facilities earlier as well,” he said.

When queried as to whether there is any particular rice variety that farmers are encouraged to grow in view of El Niño, he said that since the Maha season traditionally involves cultivating paddy varieties that take a longer period, this season they are encouraging farmers to opt for paddy with a short life cycle. "We are discussing with the experts in the sector to see what are the most appropriate rice varieties to grow," he said.

El Niño was predicted by the Meteorology Department at the beginning of last month (June), and it has forecast a mix of droughts and floods in the upcoming months. The Government's initiative comes amidst these data and calculations.

Attempts to contact the Director General of the Irrigation Department, engineer Dr. K. Weligepolage, regarding the availability of water resources and water plans for the Maha season, proved futile.