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Agrarian officers earning Rs. 100,000 for each perch of paddy land filled, says Agriculture minister
The training programme in progress
Certain officers of the agrarian services have been earning Rs. 100,000 for each perch of paddy land, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said recently.
The Minister said he has already asked the CID to look into this incident. He also said as long as he is the Agriculture Minster he will not allow one inch of paddy land to be filled.
He made these comments at a training programme for agricultural research and training assistants, held at the Gannoruwa medical centre auditorium.
In 2016 for twenty acres of paddy land in cultivation, 2600 acres of paddy land had been filled, the Minister also said.
He said this had to stop and as the Agriculture Minister he would not allow paddy land to be filled but would give assistance to farmers cultivate paddy land, as this was the mainstay of the country.
He said this training programme would make it easier for the distribution of fertiliser according to the needs of the land under cultivation, as each land needed a particular fertiliser according to the type of soil. This would give yield better crops and would also provide a better supply of fertiliser.
The minister speaking