Mannar farmers hit by drought

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 28 July 2004, 14:19 GMT]
Severe drought has hit the Mannar district affecting several hundreds of farming families and civil authorities are taking steps to provide relief to the affected people, sources said.

An emergency meeting was held Wednesday at the office of the Murunkan Agricultural Productivity Centre to formulate a scheme to provide relief, agricultural sources said.

Several acres of paddy fields were destroyed due to drought in the Maha season and affected farmers who had insured their crops applied for insurance claims. But they were not paid the full amount of damage but a small portion of the loss, agricultural sources said.

The Wednesday meeting presided by the Assistant Commissioner of Agrarian Services Ms S.D.Mel decided to plan out a scheme to provide increased insurance claims to the affected farmers instead paying a nominal sum, sources said.

Vanni district Tamil National parliamentarians Messrs Sivanathan Kishor and Vino. Noharathalingam and Mr.Geetha Fontgallon, Secretary to Vanni parliamentarian Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan participated in the discussion, sources said.