“Releasing these lands to private companies was not well received by the area residents, as they are questioning as to why the lands were not released to them previously to cultivate. We are to provide them sufficient time to present their observations and concerns before any land is released for investors,” Gamlath explained. Based on the outcome of the discussions, the extent of land that would be released will be subjected to change, it is learnt. In addition, if an environmental impact assessment (EIA) needs to be carried out, the State Ministry will look into it and inform the investors too about its requirement. It is estimated that approximately 250,000 metric tonnes (MT) of maize will have to be produced locally to fulfil the requirement.

Source: The Nation February 06, 2021 22:07 UTC