Finance, agricultural assistance for drought - hit farmers

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Agrarian Services Ministry Secretary Udeni Wickremasinghe yesterday said the government is taking steps to provide finance and agricultural assistance to farmers in drought-hit villages in Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Ampara and other agricultural districts, for increasing their crop yields in the next crop season.

"Moves are underway to supply seed paddy to farmers free of charge under a special benefit scheme for seed farmers, said Wickremesinghe.

"A proposal to supply fertilizer to them is now under scrutiny," he said.

Asked if Agrarian Services Ministry was going to pay compensation to farmers for their affected cultivation, Wickremesinghe said," Paying compensation to drought-hit cultivation is under consideration.

'The Finance Ministry should determine such a policy for payment of compensation to farmers," he said.

The drought has reportedly destroyed 250 000 acres of paddy cultivation in the country for the last five months.

Speaking on the relief schemes that were put into operation to benefit those farmers affected by the drought, Wickremesinghe said they introduced a “Cash for Work” programme to benefit affected farmers in each district.

“The farmers have been enabled to get a payment on daily basis under the Ministry’s Cash for Work programme. The Divisional Secretaries issue these payments to farmers when they participate in agriculture infrastructure development projects in their areas,” he said. “The government had allocated Rs 250 million for the scheme for the past six months. Further funds will be imparted to the project as may be needed,” he added.

Meanwhile, sources at the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Divisional Secretariats told the Daily News that as part of the government’s Farmer Assistance Programmes in drought -hit villages, the Divisional Secretaries have received funds to renovate agriculture wells, storage tanks and irrigation canals that have been affected by the drought. According to Anuradhapura Galnawa Pradeshiya Sabha Secretary Swarna Edirisinghe , livelihoods about 4826 farming families have been affected in Galnawa due to the drought and 9119 acres of cultivations have been affected.

‘With the funds we have received from the Agrarian Services Ministry, we have started reviving the old tanks and irrigation reservoirs in the area. This include renovation of silted waterways and water storage systems,” she said.

“Agriculture wells are being dug to increase the water retention capacities.

The ministry has sent necessary machinery to carry out these works,” she said. “Mahawali ‘H ‘region is the worst affected .

We have sent information about the affected families and lands to the Ministry for consideration of possible benefits, including compensations to affected farmers,” she said. Ministry sources said, the government imparted 160,000 U.S. dollars to Divisional Secretariats in drought-affected districts to provide drinking water to the affected families. “It had allocated 225,000 U. S. dollars for relief measures,” sources said.