The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that the assessment work required for compensating paddy fields affected by the heavy rains will commence soon.

It was recently reported by the media that more than 15,000 acres of paddy fields have been damaged due to heavy rains that prevailed during the past few weeks.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Ministry's Media Director Dharma Wanninayake stated that Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has already informed President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Cabinet of Ministers about the necessity to compensate farmers whose paddy fields have been damaged by heavy rains. He confirmed that both the President and the Cabinet have granted their approval to proceed with the necessary arrangements for compensation. 

“Paddy cultivation activities have not commenced yet, but farmers have already prepared their fields, incurring significant expenses in the process. Unfortunately, recent rains have damaged these fields, necessitating the repetition of the same work. Farmers are financially unable to bear these costs twice. In response, the Ministry has decided to provide compensation to the affected farmers. Amaraweera has instructed the relevant officials to assess the damages. Although the assessment work has been delayed due to some fields still being waterlogged, it will begin as soon as conditions allow,” he said.

Although the majority of the flood-related damage has been inflicted upon paddy fields, the Ministry has noted that since these cultivations were still in their early stages, the overall impact has been somewhat mitigated. The Ministry's statistics indicate that an estimated sum of Rs. 100 million will be necessary to provide support to farmers who have incurred losses.