AGRICULTURE Minister Robert Persaud has acknowledged that there will be an interruption in supplies, with several productive areas under flood waters because of the excessive rainfall over the past weeks.
He noted consumers’ fear of a shortage of fruits and vegetables on the local markets but said officers from his ministry are on the ground working with affected farmers to ensure that losses are minimised and production in unaffected areas is expanded.
“A great part of our support, in this regard, will be in the $255M intervention programme we are currently rolling out,” Mr. Persaud assured.
He said the largest portion is dedicated to drainage and irrigation (D&I) works across the regions, which is an urgent need as Guyana’s capacity caters for 1.5 inches of rainfall not the eight inches seen in the past weeks.
Persaud said the most affected are Regions Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), all on the coast.
“We are now supporting areas that where waters have overtopped the dams,” he explained.
Persaud recalled that this time last year, Guyana was battling with a drought and this year it is dealing with flooding due to excessive rainfall, a situation exacerbated by high tides.
Additionally, according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, rainfall has surpassed the 2005 levels but efforts are continuing to ensure that there is not a repeat of that disaster.
Persaud said support to affected areas is critical, especially at a time when global food prices have seen an increase on the world market.
He added that the effects of climate change have and continue to impact negatively on production, exacerbating existing challenges.