The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board (AAIB) is to distribute a sum of Rs. 657 million among more than 31,000 farmers islandwide as compensation for crop damages in the 2021-2022 Maha cultivation season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Speaking to The Morning, the Ministry’s Media Secretary Dharma Wanninayake said that taking into account the damage caused to crops due to the drought, floods, and wild elephants in the 2021-2022 Maha season, steps have been taken to distribute Rs. 657 million as compensation among 31,613 farmers, for 42,934 acres. 

Among the districts in which farmers will be compensated under the programme, the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Monaragala Districts will receive the highest amounts of compensation, Rs. 81 million, Rs. 69 million, and Rs. 68 million, respectively.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera recently said that it has been decided to raise the insurance amount per acre for six types of crops, namely paddy, maize, potato, chilli, onion, and soybean to Rs. 100,000. To implement the said insurance scheme, the Government is to contribute Rs. 40,000 and farmers will have to pay a seasonal amount to cover the rest of the sum of Rs. 100,000.

Following revelations that crop damages have increased from 30% to 40% due to wild animals such as wild boar, monkey, porcupine, peacock, and grizzled giant squirrel, and the same has affected the food production in the country in recent times, the Agriculture Ministry recently said that it will implement an action plan to minimise the crop damages caused by wild animals. 

Meanwhile, in early November, the Ministry of Agriculture took steps to remove six crop-ravaging animals from the list of protected animals in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, peacocks, monkeys, toque macaques, grizzled giant squirrels, porcupines, and wild boars had been removed from the list of protected animals.