Floods and heavy rains have destroyed approximately 400,000 acres of farmland, the Agricultural and Farmers’ Insurance Board says.
The board reports that most of the submerged farmland is located in the Ampara and Batticaloa districts, with significant damage also recorded in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
Board Chairman Premasiri Jasinghe Arachchi announced that assessments of the damage will begin tomorrow, starting in the Polonnaruwa district. Initial estimates from the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that extensive damage has occurred in the Ampara District’s paddy fields.
Farmers will receive compensation of Rs. 40,000 per acre of damaged paddy fields. The Agricultural Insurance Board confirmed that compensation will also be provided for crops such as maize, potatoes, soybeans, onions, and chilies affected by the floods. The government has allocated Rs. 1 billion for this purpose.
In addition, Commissioner General of Agrarian Development Rohana Rajapaksa stated that a special program has been launched to replant damaged paddy fields, with officers deployed to assist farmers.
D.P. Wickramasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation, announced plans to provide seed paddy to support the replanting of flood-damaged fields.
