The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has stated that necessary measures have been taken to provide compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged due to the irregular construction of the salinity barrier across the Nilwala River.
The board stated that a provision of Rs. 1,200 million has been allocated for this purpose in the 2026 national budget.
Reports further indicate that farmers have been raising complaints since 2019, claiming that their cultivated lands become flooded during periods of heavy rain and floods as a result of the salinity barrier.
Accordingly, the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board noted that compensation amounting to Rs. 1,200 million will be paid to paddy farmers for crop damages incurred over seven cultivation seasons, from the ‘Yala’ season of 2019 up to the ‘Yala’ season of 2022.
The board also stated that arrangements have been made to distribute the compensation for the damage through the Department of Agrarian Development and the Matara District Secretariat.
