Seed paddy for affected farmers

Sandasen MARASINGHE, Irangika RANGE and Disna MUDALIGE

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told Parliament yesterday that seed paddy would be given to farmers affected by floods.

He said that five bushels of seed paddy would be provided as material assistance for the maximum of one hectare of paddy lands destroyed in each district due to floods from November 2010 to the present day depending on the extent of damage. The minister was responding to an oral question raised by UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera.

He further said that 392,932 acres of paddy lands in each district had been destroyed by floods during the period under review.

The government has allocated Rs 865 million to provide financial assistance for farmers whose paddy lands have been destroyed.

The maximum damage had occurred to paddy lands in the Batticaloa district by floods with around 145,245 acres of paddy lands been destroyed.