Sri Lankan Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has stated that over 19,000 hectares of rice fields in the country have been destroyed by drought, but assured reporters that there will be no rice shortages as there are currently sufficient stocks. Rice, the staple food of Sri Lanka, is produced twice a year and the current season's harvest is ongoing. The Minister also mentioned that the drought is predicted to continue until the end of next month, except for some daily showers in certain areas of the island.