Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne said that compensation exceeding Rs. 3.2 billion has so far been paid to farmers whose livestock farms were damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.
The Deputy Minister made these remarks while addressing the media following the inauguration of the National Livestock Post-Disaster Emergency Vaccination Programme.
He said compensation has been provided to farms where cattle, pigs, goats, broiler chickens, and layer chickens were destroyed due to the disaster.
In addition to financial assistance, he noted that the post-disaster emergency vaccination programme has been launched to offer further relief to affected farmers. He added that Rs. 2.5 billion has been allocated for the programme with support from the World Bank.
The vaccination drive aims to protect animals from disease and is expected to be completed within approximately two months.
Deputy Minister Karunaratne also assured that necessary assistance will be extended to help rebuild livestock farms damaged by the disaster.
