All set for paddy cultivation in Anuradhapura

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional District group corr

Arrangements have been made to enable farmers to start 2012/2013 Maha season paddy cultivation under the supervision of the Anuradhapura District Agriculture Committee.

Anuradhapura Additional Government Agent K B Hettiarachchi told the Daily News that around 300,000 acres would be grown with paddy.

Around 125,000 farmer families are engaged in the paddy cultivation in the 2012/2013 Maha season. Nearly 300,000 bushels of seed paddy would be distributed among drought-hit farmer families, along with fertilizer subsidy requirement free, he said.

Farmers have been instructed to adhere to the decisions reached at Kanna meetings to avoid unnecessary problem, the Additional Government Agent said.

He said farmers can start the preparation of lands for sowing with rain water without depending on the scheduled water turns issued by tanks.

Arrangements have been made to distribute fertilizer subsidy amounting to 50,000 metric tons through 40 Agrarian Service Centres, Hettiarachchi said.