The Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board said that  32,815 acres of rice fields across 19 districts were destroyed due to arid weather conditions.

Chairman of the Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board Madduma Bandara Weerasekera said the most affected area was the Kurunegala District with 10,232 acres of rice fields being destroyed.

Around 10,117 acres of rice fields in the Walawa Zone were destroyed due to arid weather conditions, and the damage is expected to increase further.

Chairman of the Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board Madduma Bandara Weerasekera said a team comprising of two Directors have been assigned to assess the damage in the Walawa Zone.

He added that crop damages are also being reported from the Mahawa, Ratnapura, Trincmalee, Puttlam, Ampara, Batticaloa and Matara District.

Chairman of the Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board Madduma Bandara Weerasekera said that 21,169 rice farmers have incurred losses due to this situation.