Thousands of Sri Lankan Farmers Receive Compensation for Weather-Related Crop Loss

COLOMBO (News 1st); The payment of compensation for crops damaged by disasters has commenced.

Under this initiative, compensation is being provided for paddy, maize, and additional crops including grains, and vegetables.

Director General of Agriculture, Thushara Wickramarachchi, says, a decision has also been made to provide compensation for damaged fruit cultivations. 

He added that the government has allocated Rs. 3,000 million for this purpose.

To date, compensation has already been credited to the bank accounts of over 1,500 individuals who have submitted their application forms. 

The Director General also said that Rs. 200,000 per hectare will be provided for damaged crops under this scheme.

The disasters have resulted in damage to:

5,000 hectares of maize

9,000 hectares of grains and additional crops

6,500 hectares of vegetable cultivations

Meanwhile, the Commissioner General of Agrarian Development, Dhammika Ranatunga, says, the distribution of compensation for damaged paddy cultivations has also begun.

The Ministry of Finance has approved Rs. 7,500 million for this purpose. 

Out of this, Rs. 1,500 million has already been credited to the bank accounts of 25,000 farmers who own damaged paddy lands.

The Commissioner General added that under this program, Rs. 150,000 per hectare is being provided for disaster-affected paddy fields.