84% of Corentyne rice crop will survive
In picture, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister in Region Six, Gobin Harbhajan, right, with leaders of the Water Users Associations Friday.
In picture, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister in Region Six, Gobin Harbhajan, right, with leaders of the Water Users Associations Friday.

– once diesel is available to pump water to irrigate fields

LEADERS of the three Water Users Associations  (WUA) which manage the provision of irrigation water for rice crops in  Region Six, (East Berbice/Corentyne),  said on  Friday that 84% of the current rice crop is expected to survive .The remaining portion is in imminent danger of destruction by the current drought.
The leaders made the disclosure during a crisis meeting to which they had been invited by the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister in Region Six, Gobin Harbhajan.
Those who were present were the chairmen and secretaries of the Black Bush Polder (BBP) WUA, the Crabwood Creek WUA and the #52 to 74 villages WUAs.
In an overview of the situation of the paddy crop in Region Six, the leaders disclosed that some 11,000 acres of the plants on cultivation plots between Auchlyne and # 50 village would be lost, if not provided with irrigation within the next six days.
An additional 400 acres at #19 village and 1500 acres at Don Robin were also in grave danger.
They assured that the remaining 50,000 acres were relatively safe from the drought and could reach the stage of harvesting, once diesel is available to the pumps which irrigate these areas.
During the meeting with Harbhajan, they also discussed efforts being made to save the crops in their respective service areas and some of the assistance they would need.
Harbhajan reciprocated by making contact with the senior officials who were in a position to assist them.
In the process of doing so, he, however had cause to complain bitterly about an absence of information from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), saying that  the representative on the ground had said that he was not permitted to pass on information  to anyone  in the region.
He complained  that the  representative had  informed  him  that  GRDB  information  about the situation of the crop in Region Six could  only be  obtained from the Chief Executive Officer of the GRDB, Mr Nizam Hassan.
He said that as a senior official in the region, he felt stymied by this situation, since the CEO was not always easily accessible.
“It is a crisis situation, I have to talk to farmers on an hourly basis and this muzzling of the GRDB rep in Region Six is becoming a real bugbear.”
Harbhajan thanked the leaders of the WUAs for accepting his invitation and congratulated them for their very proactive approach, which has led to the majority of the cultivations being secured with adequate irrigation.
“I am very impressed with your efforts,” he told them.
He told them  that he was assured that the  Regional Chairman   Mr David Armogan as well as the Regional Executive Officer Dr Veerasammy Ramayya,  were  fully supportive of their efforts, especially in the provision of adequate diesel   to keep the irrigation pumps functioning as desired. (Clifford Stanley)

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