About 14,973 hectares of rice fields have been affected by the prevailing dry weather in Sri Lanka, the country's Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said on Wednesday.

The minister told the media that the rice fields were mainly in the southern and northwestern provinces and that the damage would be assessed to compensate farmers.

Rice is the staple food of Sri Lanka and is cultivated two seasons a year in the South Asian country.

According to the country's meteorological agency, the dry spell is expected to continue until the end of September.

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