February 09, Colombo (LNW): The Government has already disbursed more than Rs. 3.2 billion in compensation to livestock farmers whose operations were devastated by Cyclone Ditwah, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne disclosed.
Speaking to the media after the launch of the National Livestock Post-Disaster Emergency Vaccination Programme, the Deputy Minister said financial relief had been extended to farms that suffered losses of cattle, pigs, goats, broiler poultry and laying hens as a result of the cyclone.
He explained that the compensation scheme was only one part of a broader recovery effort, noting that an emergency vaccination drive had been introduced to stabilise the sector and prevent further setbacks. A sum of Rs. 2.5 billion has been earmarked for the programme, with funding support from the World Bank.
The vaccination initiative aims to safeguard surviving animals from the spread of disease in the aftermath of the disaster and is expected to be completed within roughly two months.
Deputy Minister Karunaratne also gave assurances that additional support would be made available to farmers to help rebuild damaged livestock facilities, stressing that restoring rural livelihoods remains a priority in the post-cyclone recovery process.
