SOME 350 acres of already sown rice lands are, currently, under water in Region 2 (Pomeroon/ Supenaam).According to President of the Rice Producers’ Association (RPA), Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj, that happened following the breach of the conservancy in Airy Hall on the Essequibo Coast.

He said: “Farmers in the region, usually, sow early and sowing has been completed for some time now. The rice under water presently is about one month old and it is in a critical state right now.”
The RPA Head explained that, depending on the variety planted, the rice can withstand major damage for up to 36 hours.
“Not all the rice lands were flooded immediately, so we still have to see how the crop will fare,” he said.
Seeraj added that, because of the terrain, efforts have been made to manually patch the breached canal but the “high pressure” of the water proved those efforts futile, as the manual work was soon undone.
He said they are continuing to ensure that losses are minimised. (Vanessa Narine)