May 18, Colombo (LNW): Farmers whose crops were damaged by the recent spell of severe weather are set to receive financial assistance through the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne.
The Deputy Minister said authorities have already begun assessing the scale of the damage caused by persistent rainfall and flooding in several agricultural regions. Farmers have been urged to report losses relating to paddy fields and other cultivation lands to local agricultural officers without delay.
He explained that instructions had been issued to relevant institutions, including the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board, to complete the reporting process for damaged crops within a two-week period. Officials are currently collecting data from affected farming communities to ensure compensation payments can be processed as quickly as possible.
Mr Karunaratne further noted that the government aims to provide timely relief in order to reduce the financial burden on farmers and help them resume cultivation activities ahead of the next planting season.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board Pemasiri Jasingarachchi stated that field inspections would be carried out in the coming days to verify the extent of the damage. Compensation amounts, he said, would be determined based on the severity of losses suffered by individual farmers.