President intervened to provide relief to - NCP Chief Minister

by Nimal WIJESINGHE- Anuradhapura Additional District group cor

Whenever a farmer became helpless and aggrieved over the devastation of his harvest or the lack of a guaranteed price for his produce President Mahinda Rajapaksa intervened to deliver relief said the North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake. He was participating in the Vap Magula held in Nawakkulama paddy field in Kekirawa recently.

The Vap Magul ceremony was organised to invoke the blessings of the deities to make the forthcoming Maha season paddy cultivation a great success in the Anuradhapura district where 120,000 acres of paddy will be cultivated.

He said “President Rajapaksa throughout his political and social career endeavoured to improve the living standard of the farmer, as he had been closely associated with paddy cultivation.The Chief Minister said even at a time the war against the LTTE terrorism was at its peak the President ordered that the fertiliser subsidy be continued at Rs. 350 per bag when the actual cost of fertiliser in the market was Rs. 7,000 or more. Due to his farsightedness during the past two years the paddy farmer could sell his harvest above the guaranteed prices thus becoming prosperous.

He lauded the President’s move to allow traditional chena cultivators in the NCP to take to chena cultivation for their livelihood.

The Chief Minister said that today the farmers in the Anuradhapura district have taken to maize cultivation.

Maize will be grown on 80,000 acres during the maha season to enable farmers to provide the requirement of maize in the country.

There are signs that the Rajarata would be the granary of Sri Lanka.

Kekirawa Divisional Secretary K. B. Hettiarachi, Deputy Agrarian Services Commissioner Ruwan Ekanayake, PC, NCP member Weerasena Gamage and a large number of farmers were present at the Vap Magul.