Symbolically the first harvest was given to the District Secretary

The beginning of groundnut harvesting was held in the Nediyamadu Cluster Village in Batticaloa under the "Field Day" programme on 10th this month under the patronage of Mrs. Kalamathy Pathmarjah, the Government Agent / District Secretary, Batticaloa. The first harvest of groundnuts in the village was presented to the chief guest. Mr. S. Suthakar, Divisional Secretary, Manmunai West and Mrs. Sasikala Punniyamoorthy, Director (Planning), Batticaloa Kachcheri attended as guests of honour.
Continuing the Field Day activities, Mr. K. Vishnukaran, Technical Assistant at SLGAP Division of Department of Agriculture demonstrated how to Cultivate for high yield and how to prevent insects that harm crops. During the event, Mrs. Pathmarajah discussed with farmers about their ongoing issues faced when cultivating and suggested solutions too. 

The Field Day Demonstration

Groundnuts were cultivated in an area of 50 Acres a Nediyamadu village by 50 farm families with the direct support of the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture Project (CSIAP) which was funded by the World Bank. Due to a large number of farmers in the village, “Nediyamadu Groundnut Producer Society” was formed and registered under the Department of Agriculture. The project provided everything needed including seeds and technical guidance for successful cultivation. 
Mrs. Sasikala Punniyamoorthy, Director (Planning), Batticaloa District Secretariat, around 60 officers from Manmunai West Divisional Secretariat, Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Development, the CSIAP officers  including  Dr. R.M. Ariyadasa, Deputy Project Director, Eastern Province , Mr. Amal Arunapriya , Institutional & Capacity Building Specialist-PMU,  and  50 groundnut farmers were present in this ceremony.