The Department of Agrarian Development says compensation has now been fully paid to all farmers whose crops were affected by Cyclone Ditwah, closing out one of the largest agricultural relief tracks from last year’s disaster.
Commissioner General of Agrarian Development Dhammika Ranatunga said compensation was disbursed to 112,442 farmers, covering 59,245 hectares of cultivated land, at a total cost of Rs. 8.886 billion.
Separately, the department reported strong progress on the Yala season fertiliser subsidy, with 95% of eligible farmers having received their allocation. A total of 667,460 farmers, covering 449,750 hectares, have been paid the subsidy, at an outlay of Rs. 13.492 billion.
Cyclone Ditwah, which struck in late November, caused extensive damage to standing crops, homes and rural infrastructure and triggered a months-long relief and reconstruction effort. Agricultural recovery has been a central plank of that response, alongside earlier measures such as the FAO’s distribution of fertiliser vouchers to affected farmers in the North Central Province.
The completion of the crop-compensation programme marks a milestone in that recovery, though authorities continue to monitor water availability and weather risks heading into the rest of the Yala cultivation season.
