Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board provides Rs.657 million as compensation to farmers

Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board provides Rs.657 million as compensation to farmers

The Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board has now completed the work of providing Rs.657 million as compensation after examining the reported facts relating to the damage caused by the Fall Armyworm (Sena Caterpillar) to maize cultivations and the damage to the paddy cultivation in the country during the 2021 Maha season.

In addition to that, providing compensation to a group of farmers for crop damage caused during the 2021 Yala season has also commenced. The payment of compensation took place at a ceremony held last Saturday where 13 farmers were awarded Rs.80,000 each by Mr.Mahinda Amaraweera, the Minister of Agriculture at District Secretariat in Trincomalee.

During the 2021 Maha season, 31,613 farmers sustained crop damages in the 25 districts and it was confirmed that 42,934 acres of cultivated land had crop damage. The amount approved to be given for such crop damage was Rs.657 million. Mr.W.M.M.B.Weerasekara, Chairman of the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board said that the total amount of Rs.657 million has been paid to the farmers.

The Minister Amaraweera said that although the crop damage caused in 2021 was linked to the ban on the use of chemical fertilizers and despite the economic crisis faced by the country at present, President and the Treasury has provided the necessary funds for agricultural crop damage compensation without any hesitation.

The Minister also stated that if there has been a reduction in the harvest of farmers in the previous season, they will focus on providing compensation to the affected farmers. Although the Government provided MOP fertilizers during the last season, some farmers did not use them for cultivation. They used only Urea fertilizers.

However, the Minister added that during this Yala season, arrangements have been made to provide three types of chemical fertilizers to farmers for the cultivation of paddy and other crops.