– Monkey Mountain latest beneficiary
TO provide short-term relief to Amerindian communities which have been affected by flooding owing to La Nina conditions, Government has been distributing relief items including food supplies and planting materials. The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs yesterday handed over essential food items including rice, flour, beans, oil and milk powder to Monkey Mountain Toshao, Joseph Stanislaus at the Amerindian Hostel on Princes Street, Georgetown.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, who presented the relief items to the Toshao, highlighted that 27 villages in the North and South Pakaraimas will benefit from the relief items since existing crops as well as nurseries were affected by the flood. In addition, farms have been threatened by rat and caterpillar infestations.
It was noted that the bulk of the food items has already been freighted to central points in the North and South Pakaraimas for distribution. Some of the communities in the North and South Pakaraimas that will benefit include Bamboo Creek, Mountain Foot, Cheong Mouth and Itabac and Karasabai, Tiger Pond and Tipuru respectively.
“The total cost of the food aid, including items and equipment to assist farmers to get back and to re-establish their farms… we have supported the food item component with $18M and also agricultural support is $17M,” Minister Sukhai stated.
The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Collin Croal who was also in attendance at the ceremony, indicated that this response is as a result of a submission that was made to Cabinet early in September on the effects of rainfall on the farms in the North and South Pakaraimas.
He noted that the Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Local Government and Regional Development , was tasked with preparing a budget and report on the relief items for those communities.
Toshao Stanislaus said he is thankful for the food supplies since villagers are unable to farm.
Prior to this batch of relief items, supplies including rice, sugar, salt, tomato sauce, and flour amounting to $1.5M in cost were sent to the North and South Pakaraimas.
Earlier in the year, other communities including Masakenari, Deep South also benefitted from food supply, planting materials and tools to aid the replanting of crops on new farmlands in cases where the lands have become unsuitable for farming. (GINA)