The Ministry of Agriculture has decided to provide diesel worth Rs. 17,000 per farmer during this ‘Maha’ cultivation season, to farmers whose cultivations were destroyed as a result of the drought situation which prevailed over the last ‘Yala’ season.

This subsidy is provided in addition to the concessionary payment of Rs.15,000 for the purchase of fertilizers and the compensation of Rs. 100,000 per hectare provided by the government, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Meanwhile, a discussion pertaining to the subsidies to be provided for the farmers whose crops and cultivations were damaged due to weather conditions was held under the patronage of Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday (06). 

The Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Agrarian Development and the officials of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) were also present at the meeting.

The Ministry of Agriculture mentioned that the Government of China had provided 6.5 million litres of diesel to be distributed to the farmers in Sri Lanka free of charge during the ‘Maha Season’ and that of this there is a balance of 2 million litres, as a large number of small-scale paddy farmers had not come to obtain their quota of fuel.

Therefore, the ministry decided to distribute those remaining fuel stocks to the farmers during this ‘Maha’ season, the Agriculture Ministry said.

Accordingly, Minister Amaraweera has instructed all relevant officials to take steps to immediately distribute this stock of fuel at the ratio of 40 litres per farmer, to all the farmers who had to face crop damages during that period.

At the same time, it has been decided to prioritize the farmers of Walawe Zone, whose cultivations were damaged as a result of the Udawalawe Reservoir drying up, considering it a ‘man-made disaster’ since water was not released from the Samanalawewa Reservoir on time.