Nearly Rs. 5 b disbursed to paddy farmers hit by Cyclone Ditwah

Thursday, 1 January 2026 00:21 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne

Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne yesterday said compensation amounting to Rs. 4,983 million has been paid to 67,460 paddy farmers whose cultivations were damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.

Addressing a media briefing, he said a total of 148,464 paddy farmers have submitted claims for crop losses, covering an affected extent of 71,110 hectares. Of these, 10,801 farmers who had also cultivated additional crops received their compensation last Friday.

The Deputy Minister said Rs. 3,381.4 million of the total compensation has been paid in cash for disaster-affected cultivations.

He also described the elimination of the so-called rice mafia as a key achievement of the current administration, noting that this has prevented the customary increase in rice prices typically seen from October to the end of January.

While noting that prices of Kiri Samba and Nadu paddy may be adjusted to support farmers, Karunaratne stressed that retail rice prices for consumers will not be increased.