– as the mining town tries to stave-off negative effects of global recession
AGRICULTURE Minister Robert Persaud yesterday said government intends to re-position agriculture in the mining township of Linden to stave-off the negative effects of the global economic meltdown.

Linden, primarily a bauxite mining area, has suffered a ‘slow-down’ in the trade caused by the global financial recession.

Speaking to a group of farmers at the Wisburg Secondary School, Minister Persaud said these realities have point government, and Lindeners as a whole, to examine other economic opportunities and to confront the challenges of the crisis, head-on.

He said agriculture has been identified as a means to counter the set-backs of the economic slow-down and the administration will accelerate work in this regard to expand on the Linden Economic Advancement Project (LEAP) and other government programmes.

Persaud said the strategic location of the Region has positioned it to be the “gateway of supply to the interior” and with the coming-on-stream shortly of the Takutu Bridge, the region’s prospect in agriculture trade will be even brighter.

However, the minister noted that while the mining community has made encouraging strides in ensuring food security at the community level, more has to be done to harness the impending opportunities.

This, Persaud stressed, is a matter for the farmers whom he reassured of his ministry’s commitment to working with all of them to “ensure no one is left behind”.

He said government is cognisant of the need to enhance agricultural production and has developed a programme of sustained development, covering several key areas critical to the transformation process.

Persaud said these include drainage and irrigation support, technical and material support to the Region 10 Farmers’ Association and the construction of a ‘shade house facility’ geared to expose farmers to modern technology aimed at increasing their productivity.

Acknowledging that D&I is essential to agricultural development, Persaud pointed out that government has spent some $60M alone last year to shore-up work in this area and will be spending more this year to do likewise.

The minister said, too, he is aware the acquisition of land to farmers has been a contentious issue but President Bharrat Jagdeo has given an undertaking to the competent authority to have this outstanding matter addressed.

During the lively and interactive ninety-minute discussion, the farmers raised a number of concerns including land and forestry issues, the need for clearing of the Cara Creek and assistance to develop the aqua-culture industry.

The farmers complained of discrepancy with land under the purview of Guymine and National Industrial & Commercial Investments Ltd (NICIL) but Persaud advised that they form a delegation and approach Prime Minister Samuel Hinds on the matter.

He promised that the Cara Creek will be dredged but declined to give a timeline. The minister, however, pointed out that the region’s excavator that was out of operation for a long time is now being repaired.

Apart from its D&I tasks, Persaud said the excavator will be used to excavate ponds for aqua-culture.

The issues in the forestry sector, he assured, will be addressed at a meeting with stakeholders.

The farmers were also concerned that while the other Regions are doing well in agriculture, areas in and around Linden have not enjoyed similar success.

Persaud said a team made-up of representatives from the Region 10 Farmers Association and his ministry will conduct a coordinated review on what needs to be done to advance the region’s agriculture.