-to increase acreages through improved services
GOVERNMENT’s Agricultural Support Services Programme (ASSP) is continuing to undertake critical works and provide services to support farmers’ activities to take advantage of the numerous opportunities within the non-traditional agriculture sector.
This is according to a press release yesterday from the Ministry of Agriculture, under which the ASSP programme falls.
It said the ASSP is financed from resources of a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which was signed on 24 September, 2004. “This Loan was subject to partial cancellation due to the IDB’s debt relief initiative in 2007 and, as such, the loan was restructured,” the ministry said.
It noted that the Government of Guyana contribution has been provided in kind, that is, in the execution of the earthworks in approved areas.
As such, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has completed at least 60 percent of these earthworks, thereby facilitating the commencement of the rehabilitation of control structures and access roads.
According to the ministry, the objective of the ASSP is to raise rural incomes on the coastal plain of Guyana through increasing efficiency of agricultural production. Specifically, the ASSP aims to rehabilitate D&I structures, organise farmers to operate and maintain these rehabilitated structures, support rice research, and support agriculture diversification.
“Such works consist of the rehabilitation of scores of control structures and access roads with the project area of Vergenoegen/Bonasika and Den Amstel/Fellowship on the West Coast of Demerara, some of which have already been completed, while works in some areas are still ongoing,” the Ministry said in the release.
Components of the ASSP include civil works rehabilitation of control structures, access roads and pump stations in Regions 3, 4 and 6; D&I institutional development; Water Users Association support; farmers training and extension; NDIA strengthening; rice seeds development, and others.
