The Department of Agrarian Development has completed the direct disbursement of agricultural relief compensation funds to smallholder paddy farmers across Medirigiriya and Hingurakgoda in Polonnaruwa today, September 30, 2026.

The financial relief package, authorized following official assessment of seasonal micro-drought impacts on the Yala crop, deposited state compensation subsidies directly into verified bank accounts of over 4,500 registered agrarian cooperative members. Alongside financial disbursements, agricultural field officers distributed high-grade bio-fertilizer starter kits formulated by the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI). Agronomists explained that applying microbial inoculants alongside subsidized drought-tolerant short-age paddy seed varieties will strengthen root resilience and reduce synthetic chemical input costs for farming communities.