The Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council has taken initiatives to cultivate 8,850 acres of barren paddy lands in line with the national agriculture revolution programme of the Government. The commencement of the aswaddumization programme was held recently under the patronage of Sabaragamuwa Governor Marshal Perera at the Morawatte paddy fields at Ruwanwella recently.
According to provincial statistics, there are around 57,640 acres of paddy lands out of which there are nearly 8,900 acres of barren paddy lands in the Sabaragamuwa province. It has been planned to bring those barren paddy lands under plough by the Agriculture Ministry of the Provincial Council.
On the concept of President Maithripala Sirisena, the entire country has been subjected to a rapid agriculture revolution aiming to increase the local food production drastically. Under this programme, paddy farmers are assisted in many ways including introducing modern technology and machineries used in the agriculture sector so as to increase productivity. Accordingly, paddy farmers of the province, were offered weeding machines and paddy planting machines at the ceremony.
Moreover, farmers are paid a grant of Rs 10,000 each for every barren paddy acre to be prepared for paddy cultivation.