– part of outreach to provide support to farming communities

Naamryck/Parika Back resident raising concerns with Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and team at the community outreach.

To provide continued support and interventions for farming communities, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, who is performing the duties of Prime Minister, along with a high-level team of officers from his Ministry, Saturday visited several communities in Region Three to interact with farmers and address issues affecting them as the Ministry continues to promote its Grow More Campaign.

The teams visited communities including Naamryck/Parika Back, Windsor Forest, Den Amstel, Vive-La Force, Patentia, Canals 1 and 2 Polder, Bagotville, Goed Fortuin, Philadelphia, Parika, Greenwich Park, Saint Lawrence, Morashee, Lower Bonasika, Western Hogg Island, Richmond Hill, Leguan, and Kamuni/Potosi.

During the visits, farmers were provided the opportunity to raise concerns on issues affecting their communities and provide possible solutions where necessary.

Minister Persaud, addressing issues raised by residents, said that significant investments have been made to spend in excess of $385M in the Vergenoegen to Bonasika area to improve infrastructure including irrigation structures and to rehabilitate 30 bridges.

The Agriculture Minister said that his Ministry has been able to garner resources through engagements with international institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Government recognises that on its own, it would not be able to generate the resources immediately and hence it needed to find ways in which it can access resources to improve farming conditions, he said.

Through collaborative efforts with these organisations, government has been able to garner the resources to meet the needs of farmers.

Minister Persaud noted that one of the areas on government’s agenda is diversification where it has recognised that farmers need to have a range of activities so that the agriculture sector can become more resilient.

He said while government is investing in the rice and sugar industry, there is need for diversification of the sector.

“We are restructuring the traditional agriculture sector; but at the same time we have not shifted the focus as it were, but what we have done, we have deepened our work in the non-traditional sector,” he said.

He explained to residents that the diversification programme is informed by technical work which is market driven that will significantly change the landscape of agriculture.

The Agriculture Diversification Programme targets an increase in the export of non-traditional agricultural commodities. Its purpose is to establish services and institutions for a sustainable increase in the income derived from the export of non-traditional agricultural exports in the aquaculture, fruits and vegetables, and livestock sub-sectors, such as beef, peppers, pumpkins, plantains and farm-grown fish, particularly tilapia.

Meanwhile, Region Three Chairman, Julius Faerber updated residents about programmes which are being undertaken by the regional administration.

He said that the region has been maintaining trenches through manual cleaning and excavation works on those that cannot be done manually.

Faerber noted that the region has been doing excavation works and maintenance of roads to assist farmers. During 2009, approximately $5M was expended on crusher run to upgrade roads.

The Region administration, he said, is also looking at upgrading dams so that farmers can have access to their farms and markets.

“We have also looked at the two markets (Parika and Hydronie) to upgrade market facilities so that farmers can take their produce and have it sold,” he said.

Faerber said for this year plans are in the pipeline for more excavation work in the areas so that farmers can have further relief.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Lionel Wordsworth, also outlined projects that were undertaken by the Authority in 2009.

He said that approximately 78 percent of works were completed for the rehabilitation of canals and drains over the last year.

Senior Engineer, Agriculture Sector Development Unit, Frederick Flatts, informed Naamryck/Parika Back residents about ongoing projects in their community.

He said that works in the area are being done under a project funded by the IDB to the tune of US$20M. Works at Vergenoegen, Bonasika and Den Amstel will cost $385M.(GINA)