– Minister Persaud
AGRICULTURE Minister Robert Persaud has indicated that the agricultural crops and livestock losses in the flood-hit Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) are being assessed.
He said: “Supplies continue to make their way to the Region. Up to last Friday morning, we had veterinary supplies and others to support recovery of crops sent to Annai.”
Mr. Persaud explained that, even as emphasis is being placed on humanitarian aid, much more is directed towards ensuring minimum impacts on cultivations, as well as a quick recovery and return to production.
He maintained, though, that the necessary support for the region has been mobilised to make the recovery period short.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, as directed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, is finalising its recovery plan to aid farmers across Region 9 to ensure those affected get back into production so that normalcy can be restored especially in the outlying villages,” Persaud said.
The rains in the Region are the worst on record since 1980 and the heavy rainfall in the southern part of Lethem, Rupununi, is causing the floods because the rivers and other waterways are overflowing.
Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle that the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) remains South and its continued movement in that direction, to the Atlantic Ocean, is expected to result in more rainfall.
The Hydromet Department has forecast that rains are expected to continue further into this week and throughout the month of June all over Guyana.(Vanessa Narine)