Re-settlers in Tellipalai get agricultural tools from FAO

Monday, 12 September 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Harsha Udayakantha Peiris

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has stepped into assist on the request of the Jaffna District Secretariat and the Tellipalalai Divisional Secretary, with the granting of a set of agricultural tools to all resettled families under a Rs.9.5 million grant by USA and Sweden.

The families recently received a package from the FAO, that included a mammoty, a ‘Jaffna type’ multi-purpose knife, rake and watering can that will help them to clear and clean their lands and develop their homesteads.

Tellipalai in Jaffna, was one of the most fertile agricultural lands in the North, but the ravages of war left it barren and uncultivated for nearly two decades.

With the end of the conflict, a large number of original settlers have returned to the area from March 2011 with the intention of residence and preparing for the oncoming Maha season.

Ayyasamy Murugesu, one of the newly resettled beneficiaries stated that with the tools provided, he and his family can now clear their land to start their livelihood to be back on their feet soon thanks to FAO.

FAO will sooner provide agriculture seeds and will also continue to monitor the progress of the agricultural activities of the resettled families and make further contributions in the future.