Paddy cultivation booms in Northern Province

by Vavuniya spl. cor.

The Northern Province has recorded nearly 60 percent bumper harvest in the lands cultivated in year 2010, according to Secretariat of the Northern Province Governor. The extend of area came under the plough increased by 130,422 acres last year, statistic revealed. The total cultivated land in year 2010 was 221,818 acres while in 2009 it was only 91,396 acres.

In the Yala season farmers of the Province cultivated 8,893 acres and during the present Maha season they cultivated 212,925 acres, the statistics further revealed. "Two new paddy storage facilities would be opened in the province as we expect a huge increase in the Maha season harvest," Northern Province Governor Maj. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri said. Meanwhile, many projects are underway throughout the province to repair and reconstruct the irrigation system the Governor said.

With this the Government plans to assist farmers to cultivate nearly 35,000 acres of abandoned land in the province.

Black gram is cultivated across 19,786 acres in all five districts of the province and ground nuts are cultivated in 7,231 acres.