GOVERNMENT continues to make interventions to aid farmers countrywide who are being affected by the heavy rainfall.

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, accompanied by a technical team from his Ministry and representatives from the Guyana Rice Development Board, on Wednesday, visited and interacted with residents and farmers in the Region Five area to discuss issues that are affecting their farming practices, as well as to follow up on the progress of initiatives, already implemented.
Meetings were conducted with residents of Abary Creek and Champagne and Mahaicony Creek. The areas are known for small and large scale agriculture since most of these communities depend on it for a livelihood.

ABARY CREEK
Farmers were provided the opportunity to interact and discuss possible interventions to safeguard the livelihood of farmers while the Agriculture Minister echoed Government’s commitment to ensuring that their livelihood is safeguarded.
The Ministry has identified numerous support measures inclusive of the provision of drainage and irrigation works, seeds, planting materials, chemicals and equipment, to be distributed to affected farming communities.
Minister Persaud also committed to continue examining additional interventions to support farmers’ activities, particularly in affected rice, cash crop and livestock growing regions.
Among the issues raised by farmers were – maintenance of canals at Abary, cattle rustling, repairs to the main access road that leads to the Abary Creek and bridge, need for more teachers, access to feeds and molasses and bat infestation.
Minister Persaud pledged to look into the issue of cattle rustling and that a meeting with the Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of Police will be held to have the matter addressed.
With respect to repairs to the main access road and bridge, the Agriculture Minister said while the MMA is awaiting the procurement of materials for the rehabilitation of the road, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority will be making available a ‘Grader’ to grade the road, while works to the bridge will begin shortly.
An excavator is expected in the area on Friday to deal with emergency D&I work.
On the issue of shortage of teachers, the Minister stressed that education is very important and as such the administration will be ensuring that the matter is addressed.
Government’s commitment towards ensuring the viability of the rice industry continues to be seen with tangible interventions.

CHAMPAGNE
At the meeting held at Champagne, residents received a quantity of drainage tubes.
“We have been trying to sort out the big drainage issues for the entire area so that farmers in the area will have access to proper drainage structures. A lot of the tubes were used up during the El Nino condition and we were forced to acquire more.”
The NDIA and MMA will be working together with farmers to ensure that the tubes are installed correctly.

MAHAICONY CREEK
Minister Persaud, while calling for closer collaboration between farmers, stressed the need for them to be more proactive and aware of new and emerging developments currently taking place in the agriculture sector.
“It is very important that we stress the need for farmers to be aware of what’s happening in terms of new developments because many times when you are not aware of new developments that creates a lot of problems for us.”
He echoed those sentiments while addressing a farmers meeting which was centered on discussing issues affecting them and the way forward at the Gordon Table Primary/Nursery School in Mahaicony Creek.

CLIMATE CHANGE, DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION
Farmers in riverine areas are vulnerable to rainfall as a result of climate change and focus is being placed on creating adaptation measures, as Government continues to invest in the improvement of drainage and irrigation systems toward reducing the effects of flooding and to boost agricultural production.
Towards this objective, the Ministry recently constructed embankments on both banks of the Mahaicony River. These have helped residents in the area to cushion the effects of flooding.
“Once we make those commitments we try to honour them but we depend on your support to protect these structures,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth said that a new canal will be constructed parallel to the river while the excavated material will be used to build an embankment.
Speaking on the issues of animal health, Minister Persaud said that a team of veterinary assistants will be arriving in the area shortly since complaints have been made of livestock developing foot-rot.
Cash crop farmers also received seeds and fertilizers from the staff of the Ministry to continue their livelihood.  (GINA)