The Ministry of Agriculture stated that adequate compensation would be provided to farmers whose crops were affected by the recent cyclone and floods, and therefore there would be no risk of a food shortage in the country.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (21), Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne said that although the Maha cultivating season experienced losses due to the natural cyclonic disaster, this year’s Yala harvest recorded its highest output. "Farmlands were damaged due to floods and landslides. However, the affected farmers will be provided with adequate compensation to re-cultivate. There will be no risk of a food shortage."

When asked about reports of a Keeri Samba shortage, he said that there is a shortage, but added that it is not a major issue. “Because of the shortage of Keeri Samba, we had to import ‘Punni Samba’ instead. If we had cultivated about 50,000 hectares of Keeri Samba this year, this problem would not have arisen. This time, we have given farmers a small incentive to cultivate Keeri Samba. Therefore, there will not be a shortage next year (2026)."

The Agriculture Ministry recently announced that it would compensate all cultivators affected by the recent extreme weather. The Ministry had decided to extend support to all affected crops, despite regulations that normally limit compensation to only certain types of cultivation.