It has been planned to cultivate paddy in lands spanning 128,000 hectares in the Anuradhapura district during the ‘Maha Cultivation Season 2017/2018.’ Paddy cultivation in the district was devastated for consecutive cultivation seasons due to drought. “I have arranged to hold prior kanna meetings under 14 major irrigation schemes and the farmers are positively determined to cultivate as soon as the monsoon rains start within a few weeks. We will give solutions for the need of seed paddy. There are around 144,000 framers in the district who lost their cultivations during the last cultivation seasons. However, It is a consolation to know that farmers in Wahalkada, Tissa Wewa, Nuwara Wewa, Eppawala, Rajanganaya and Nachchaduwa possess sufficient stocks of seed paddy with them. Anyhow, we need nearly 555,000 Bushels of seed paddy to be distributed among farmers either on 50 percent subsidized basis or if necessary without any charge,” said Anuradhapura government agent R. M. Wanninayaka. He added that the paddy harvested from 14,900 hectares cultivated in the Anuradhapura district during Yala season would be used as seed paddy.
It has been predicted that there will be monsoon rains adequate enough to fill the major tanks to enable the farmers to cultivate the full extent of their paddy fields and the 3,000 minor irrigation tanks too would receive rain water to fill them. In this background, we expect to commence the sowing of paddy during November 2 to 15th, the government agent said
“We follow a foolproof and systematic water-management methodology in providing irrigational water to the farmers, minimizing the waste. If somehow there’s inadequate water stored in the major tanks, especially in Nuwara wewa, Tissa wewa, Nachchaduwa, Hurulu Wewa, Thuruvila Wewa etc., during the monsoon seasons, the Mahaweli Water-Management Committee has given undertaking to supply Mahaweli water to them. As such, I hope that we could launch a successful paddy cultivation drive in the district,” Wanninayaka added.