December 02, Colombo (LNW): The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has announced a fast-tracked programme to support farmers whose livelihoods have been devastated by the recent spell of extreme weather and the extensive flooding that has swept across much of the country.
Under the initiative, officials will begin issuing compensation once on-site assessments are completed for crops protected by the compulsory insurance scheme. These include paddy, maize, big onions, potatoes, chillies and soya beans—staples that many rural communities rely on both for income and subsistence.
Farmers have been urged to alert their local Agricultural Research and Production Assistant (ARPA) as soon as floodwaters begin to subside, or to record losses in the disaster-reporting registers kept at Agrarian Service Centres.
Authorities noted that the continuing high water levels have made it difficult to gauge the true scale of destruction, and early reporting will help speed up the verification process.
The Board added that damage to other, non-insured crops should also be documented in the official record books at the relevant Agrarian Service Centre. To ease the burden on affected communities, an emergency hotline—1928—has been made available for guidance on reporting losses and seeking assistance.
