Over 108,000 acres of land in the High Security Zone (HSZ) had been handed over to the owners which will also be utilized for cultivation this year, quoting Northern Province Agriculture Ministry Secretary S Pathmanathan, Defense Ministry reported.

Maha cultivation has been undertaken in 980 acres in Jaffna, 15,000 acres in Vavuniya, 19,600 acres in Mannar, 24,000 in Mullative and 48,620 acres in Kilinochchi districts, he added.

Last year 200,024 MT of paddy was obtained and as there are more acres of lands to be cultivated this year, we expect more," Pathmanathan said.