The assessment of the damage to the paddy cultivation due to the drought has started throughout the island.
Accordingly, the Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board is currently handing over a report on daily paddy crop damage to the Minister of Agriculture, Mahinda Amaraweera.
25 teams have been deployed for the assessment of paddy crop damage, which will cover the entire island.
A special team has been deployed from the head office to assess the damage in the Udavalawe region, said the chairman of the board Mr. WMMB Weerasekera.
The report on crop damage assessments reported yesterday (15) has been handed over to the Minister of Agriculture, Mahinda Amaraweera, this morning (16).
According to that, the highest crop damage has been reported from Kurunegala district as of yesterday.
That amount is 19,388 acres. The number of affected farmers is 22,357.
In the second place, the highest amount of crop damage is reported from the region of Udawalawa. It is 10,125 acres. The number of farmers is 4050.
As of yesterday, 37,101 acres of paddy crop damage is reported across the island. The number of farmers is 32,967.
Crop losses in other districts are as follows.
The board also says that it will take about a month to prepare the final report.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera, has instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare a Cabinet Paper to inform the Cabinet regarding this crop damage.
Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera says that he will present the paper to the Cabinet next week.
