Rs. 10,000 compensation for coconut trees destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah
– The Government has drawn attention to providing compensation of Rs. 10,000 per coconut tree, along with coconut saplings, to farmers whose coconut trees were destroyed by the recent Cyclonic Storm Ditwah.Chairman of the Coconut Cultivation Board, Dr. Sunimal Jayakody, said the coconut industry has been severely affected by the disaster and requested the public to submit relevant information to facilitate the compensation process.
He further said that a large number of coconut saplings at the Coconut Cultivation Board’s seed coconut nursery in Kilinochchi were submerged due to flooding caused by heavy rains.Dr. Jayakody added that plans are in place to replant coconut saplings in the future to replace trees destroyed by landslides and floods.
Meanwhile, the Coconut Development Authority stated that damages to coconut-related industries caused by the cyclone and floods have been estimated at approximately Rs. 1,576 million. The Authority has so far received reports of 87 coconut-related industries that have been severely affected.
