Aid to farmers to rebuild livelihood

by M. A. Phakurdeen Addalaicheni Group Correspondent

A rebuilding paddy based livelihood - tsunami reconstruction project was launched at Madduppallai Thankandam in the Nintavur Agricultural Officers Division with the view to extend a helping hand to the farmers who have been badly hit by the recent tsunami disaster and lost their entire paddy cultivation with a vast damage caused to the paddy field with the assistance of CIC (Chemical Industries Colombo Ltd.) and Syngenta - Agricultural reconstruction Project.

The Agricultural Department is on this move and all arrangements in this connection are afoot at present.

131 farmers who cultivate 300 acres of paddy in this area are to be benefited under the scheme. The expenditure incurred in the cultivation of these lands would be met by Syngenta and CIC and at present a sum of Rs. 2 million has been set apart for this project. The repairs to the irrigational channels, branch channels, agricultural roads etc. were already completed and the inputs required to the farmers are being supplied now.

The selected farmers of this project were given their agricultural inputs required for their cultivation including chemicals, fertlizers, insecticides, etc. They were also distributed with certificates by the guests at the conclusion of the ceremony. Agricultural Officer A. A Atham made all arrangements in this connections to conduct this programme successfully.