Fuel on priority basis

The Cabinet nod has been granted to distribute 20 million litres of fuel required to farmers to harvest paddy cultivations in the on-going Yala season on priority basis. 
Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing held in Colombo yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Mahinda Amaraweera revealed that paddy farmers 

have cultivated a record 475,000 hectares of paddy land in the minor cropping season, Yala amid concerns on food security. Earlier, he noted that the Agriculture Ministry was expecting only 275,000 hectares to be cultivated in this season.

Hence, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal presented by Amaraweera  to distribute 20 million litres of fuel required to harvest paddy cultivations to farmers on priority basis. However, Amaraweera expects the rice shortage to occur in December this year and January next year due to 39-40 percent decline in paddy harvest in Maha season as a result of short-lived ban on chemical fertilisers.
In order to avert a shortage, the government had already imported 375,000 MT of rice as of last month while further imports are in the pipeline.