Seed paddy for over 14,600 families

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has provided 43,400 bushels of seed paddy to 14,466 families to cultivate 14,465 acres. FAO Country Representative Patrick Evans said the FAO has been working closely with the Presidential Task Force for the provision of agricultural support to the returnees in the North.

Evans said with financial support from Sweden and the United Kingdom, 3,044 families will benefit from the provision of 16,856 Kg of other field crop seeds, 73,000 Kg of fertilizers for green gram, ground nut, black gram , maize and cowpea through FAO assistance to Mannar, Vavuniya and the Jaffna districts.

He said FAO strives to compliment the government's efforts to rapidly initiate the resumption of farming activities and restoration of the agriculture based livelihoods through the provision of paddy seed and further resettle around 60,000 people in Manthai West (Mannar District), West Mullaitivu and West Kilinochchi to sow paddy during the 'Maha' agricultural season.

The cultivation of paddy in the districts of Mulaitivu and Kilinochchi has been planned with irrigation and planting is to commence by the first week of February with a forecasted extent of 3,000 acres.

The FAO with the support of other UN agencies and with UK funding and Swedish Government was in a position to meet the seed paddy requirement of the resettled farming community in the North to ensure food security by supporting the paddy and other field crops cultivation for the Maha 2009/2010 season. The Government provided the required quantities of fertilizer for paddy cultivation and with the subsidy scheme, also helped with the land preparation.