President instructs to provide assistance to drought-hit farmers

President Maithripala Sirisena has issued instructions to commence a project to cultivate 600 acres of sorghum, to provide relief to farmers who are in a helpless situation due to the severe drought in the Puttalam District.

In areas where not even a single harvest could not be completed during the Yala and Maha cultivation seasons, this project was implemented to provide assistance to over 500 farming families. This cultivation is to be conducted using the minimum amount of water from the Inginimitiya irrigation project. In addition, assistance has been provided to farmers for the cultivation of additional crops.  A project on pumping water via solar power, a program of distributing small-scale multipurpose weed-suppressing rotary machinery, and a program on providing incentives to young agricultural entrepreneurs will also be conducted. 

This project, conducted under the Food Production National Program, operative under the President's Office, will deploy grants efficiently to the benefit of framers and consumers.