Over Rs. 3.2 bln paid as compensation to livestock farmers affected by Cyclone Ditwah

Compensation exceeding Rs. 3.2 billion has so far been paid to farmers whose livestock farms were damaged by the Cyclone Ditwah, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Namal Karunaratne said. 

The Deputy Minister made these remarks while addressing the media following the inauguration of the National Livestock Post-Disaster Emergency Vaccination Programme.

He stated that compensation payments have been provided to farms where cattle, pigs, goats, broiler chickens, and layer chickens were destroyed due to the disaster.

In addition to the compensation payments, the Deputy Minister noted that the post-disaster emergency vaccination programme was launched to provide further relief to affected farmers. 

He added that Rs.2.5 billion has been allocated for this programme with the assistance of the World Bank.

The objective of the vaccination programme is to protect animals from diseases, and it is expected to be completed within a period of approximately two months, he said.

Furthermore, Deputy Minister Karunaratne assured that necessary assistance will also be provided to help reconstruct livestock farms that were damaged as a result of the disaster.