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Sri Lanka king coconut output to crash 40-pct from white fly disease

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Sri Lanka’s king coconut output can fall 40 percent as an infestation of white fly continues to spread, with officials said with an estimated 4.6 million palms already infected.

Standard coconut palms are also affected to a lesser extent.

“If the infestation in King Coconut is not controlled, we can expect up to 40 percent crop loss in future whereas coconut palms will only be affected about 4-5 percent,” Coconut Research Institute, Deputy Director, N. S. Arachchi said,

King coconuts plants are more prone to severe damage from white fly as they have a lower number of fronds compared to a coconut palm, officials said.

So far 4.6 million coconut palms have been infected in the districts of Kegalle, Gampaha, and Colombo with lower levels of spread seen so far in Ratnapura, Galle, Kandy, and Kurunegala.

White flies are attracted to yellow and orange colours, putting King Coconuts palms at more risk.

“This insect has an affinity for the yellow colour so the king coconut plantation has a huge impact from the fly,” Chairman of the Coconut Development Authority Keerthi Sri Weerasinghe said.

“The white fly disease is a huge threat to the dollar income of the country. The king coconut harvest is declining, paving the way to lowering the number of king coconut exports.”

“Currently, the king coconut exports have reduced due to this threat.”

King coconuts are retailing at around 150 to 160 rupees a nut in some markets in Colombo.

The Coconut Research Institute recommends spraying a mixture of 10 millimeters Neem(Kohomba) oil and 5 milimetre of soap powder to contain the fly.

(economynext.com)

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Weather Alert: Showers to ease in Southwest, strong winds forecast in North

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Prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the island is expected to reduced gradually from today (01st)

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Aluthgamage and Fernando assigned printing work in prison

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Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, sentenced this week to jail for 20 and 25 years, respectively, have been assigned duties in the printing section at the Welikada prison, sources said.

Both of them are being held together away from the main section of the prison’s ‘chapel’ section, where prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of murder and rape are held. The prison’s printing section prints its own documentation.

Prison sources said that in placing them in relevant wards to serve their jail term, the authorities had taken into consideration the security of the two convicts, as they might have had political enemies.

Mr Aluthgamage was handed a 20-year term of rigorous imprisonment, while Mr Fernando was given a 25-year term of rigorous imprisonment by a High Court trial-at-bar after being found guilty of causing a Rs 53 million loss to the state.

They were accused of importing carrom boards and checkers boards through Sathosa during the 2015 presidential elections and distributing them to clubs.

Their lawyers said yesterday they were awaiting the certified copy of the judgement to prepare the appeal papers. The appeal will be considered by the Supreme Court.

(sundaytimes.lk)
(This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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COVID subvariants spreading in Asia detected in Sri Lanka

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The Medical Research Institute of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the COVID-19 variant currently spreading in the Asian region has also been identified in the country.

Dr. Jude Jayamaha, a specialist in viral diseases at the Medical Research Institute, stated that patients infected with the Omicron subvariants LF.7 and XFG are being reported locally.

Dr. Jayamaha explained that this finding was confirmed through research conducted on biological samples collected from several hospitals across the island.

However, he emphasized that there is no need for undue fear regarding these COVID-19 variants.

Health authorities have also stressed the importance of vulnerable groups—such as pregnant mothers, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses—following health guidelines, including wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places.

Dr. Jayamaha reiterated that new COVID-19 variants emerge periodically, and health authorities are continuously monitoring the situation, so the public should remain calm.

(newswire.lk)

(This story, originally published by newswire.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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