70 acres of paddy lands destroyed by unidentified pest in Balangoda

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The paddy crops at the Kaltota, Balangoda farming community has been infected with an unidentified disease. The farmers in the area state that due to the disease all the paddy heads turn white rendering it inconsumable. They noted that the disease had destroyed their crops and they are left helpless as they do not have a way to generate revenue to compensate for what they have spent for their cultivations. They requested the officials to look into the matter and provide a solution. The News 1st team reached OIC of the Balangoda Agrarian Center, P. Jayasinghe regarding the matter. He noted that he has already informed the Bathalagoda Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) regarding the issue and three officers from the institute had arrived to inspect the paddy fields. The officials have concluded that the paddy plants were damaged due to the prevailing dry and windy weather conditions. P. Jayasinghe added that over 70 acres of farmlands were destroyed due to this condition.