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. |