To uplift agriculture-based lifestyle:

Indian agri experts help IDPs

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

A nine member Indian team of agricultural experts will be in Sri Lanka to help in rehabilitation of IDPs in the North.

They hope to meet farmers who are going to start farming in the Northern Province and help them to solve their problems and encourage them. "We are going to have a discussion with them about what we have already done and what are we going to do for the development of the agriculture in the Northern Province. After that they can understand the agricultural background of the country," an agricultural Ministry Official said.

He also said, "Before the war, people who lived in the Northern Province were used to an agriculture- based lifestyle. So after the end of the war, the Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Ministry had taken steps to resettle farmer families specially in Mahaweli systems like System L with the help of Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka. India has already allocated Rs.5 billion for the relief and rehabilitation of displaced in the North and East.