Government to extend cultivation subsidy to 12 food crops

The Government plans to extend its cultivation subsidy to 12 food crops in addition to paddy for the first time, Deputy Agriculture Minister Namal Karunaratne said.

Karunaratne said farmers cultivating the selected crops would receive the same level of financial support currently provided for paddy cultivation.

He said the subsidy was not restricted to the purchase of fertiliser and could be used by farmers for other cultivation expenses, including land preparation and dealing with crop damage.

“The cultivation subsidy has now begun to be paid. When we came to power, we doubled the amount that was being paid to farmers,” he said.

Karunaratne said the scheme would cover 13 crops in total, including paddy, and would also benefit farmers growing other crops on land traditionally used for paddy cultivation.

He said the Government had already begun disbursing the assistance and was allocating what he described as an unprecedented amount of money for cultivation subsidies.

The Deputy Minister did not identify the 12 additional crops in the statement.