The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board has announced that the payment of compensation for cultivations affected by dry weather conditions across several districts will commence today (04).

Accordingly, arrangements have been made to credit insurance compensation directly to the bank accounts of affected farmers in the Polonnaruwa District today. The Board has also taken steps to disburse compensation for crop damage to affected farmers in the other districts before September 15.

Paddy, maize, and several other crops have been damaged due to prevailing dry weather conditions in the districts of Hambantota, Ampara, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, and Monaragala.

Following reports submitted by farmers regarding the crop damage, officials conducted field inspections to assess the extent of the affected cultivations. Based on these assessments, arrangements were made to provide compensation directly to the farmers' bank accounts.

The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board further stated that the Government has allocated approximately Rs. 3 billion to fund the compensation payments.

Compensation will be provided for six affected crops—paddy, maize, big onion, potato, soybean, and chili—at a rate of Rs. 100,000 per hectare, subject to a maximum coverage limit of five acres.