COLOMBO (News 1^st) – Under the advice of President Maithripala Sirisena a 600-acre corn planting project will be launched in-order to assist nearly 500 farming families who have been unable to cultivate for 2 seasons due to a drought in the Puttalam district.

The project will be initiated using limited water resources from the Iginimitiya Water Project.

Plans are also in place to provide compensations to farmers who plant additional crops. The government also plans to implement a project to utilise solar energy to power water pumps.

According to the Presidential Media Unit, such projects will be launched using the funds from the Presidential Secretariat.

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