Govt allocates Rs. 2.5 Bn for Yala paddy cultivation

The Agrarian Development Department has taken steps to transfer Rs.2.5 billion to the farmer’s accounts as the cultivation subsidy provided to the farmers in the 2024 Yala Season.

Over Rs.2.5 billion has been spent on agriculture for 213,771 farmers. The amount of paddy cultivation that has been subsidised is 167,362 hectares.

It is expected that about 450,000 hectares of paddy fields will be planted in this year’s Yala Season and the financial subsidy to be provided for all cultivated paddies will be around Rs. 7.5 billion, according to the Agrarian Development Department.

Agriculture and Plantation Industries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera submitted a Cabinet Paper to give Rs. 15,000 per hectare to every farmer who cultivates paddy in the 2024 Yala Season.

The approval of the Cabinet has been received for that.

The Agrarian Development Department has prepared a formal information and data system to account for this money for every farmer who has completed cultivation.

Information has been received that many farmers are applying only urea fertiliser to their paddy fields. The Agriculture Department points out that due to non-application of MOP fertiliser, the paddy panicle as well as paddy seeds are not complete and the yield may be reduced due to non-application of MOP fertiliser.

Conditions such as yellowing of the paddy cultivation may arise due to the lack of root system strength due to non-application of MOP fertiliser.

Minister Amaraweera is requesting the farmers to use the subsidy financial allocations provided by the Government to use MOP fertiliser instead of urea fertiliser.

At present, the two Government-owned fertiliser companies have distributed the required amount of MOP fertiliser countrywide and the private sector has also taken steps to supply MOP fertiliser without shortage.

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