No compensation if crops damaged by drought are set on fire

The Agriculture and Agrarian Insurance Board has informed Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera that if the crops damaged due to the current drought are set on fire, no compensation will be paid to the farmers, a media release from the Agriculture Ministry said yesterday.

In the past few days, it was broadcast in the media that some farmers are protesting by setting their paddy fields on fire, as their crops have been damaged due to the severe drought, the news release said.

The board has recently started assessing the damage to the crops in the drought-damaged paddy cultivations. The board points out that since there is no possibility to assess the damage after the plantations are set on fire, they are unable to compensate the farmers.

The Agriculture Ministry has also decided to look into the possibility of taking legal action for the same, as the money spent on relief including the fertilizer subsidy given to farmers by the Government will be wasted if a person sets fire to his paddy field, the media release said.

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