(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera, instructed the Department of Agricultural Development to temporarily suspend the permission to reclaim paddy land.
The Minister gave these instructions considering the matters presented by the Members of Parliament in the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Agriculture held in the Parliament yesterday afternoon (07).
The parliamentarians pointed out that currently a large amount of paddy land is being reclaimed for certain constructions in various parts of the island, and some officials of the Department of Agricultural Development are supporting it
Taking these facts into consideration, a study will be conducted on paddy land reclamation and until the report is obtained, steps will be taken to temporarily stop the reclamation of paddy land, the minister said.
Minister Mahinda Amaraweera also stated that this ban does not apply to cultivation activities such as the Sojan system.
