MINISTER within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Alli Baksh paid a three-hour visit to St. Cuthbert‘s Mission in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) last week Wednesday; interacted with residents, and listened to issues raised by them and offered advice.

He also gave assurances of assistance and encouraged them to get involved in greater agricultural production, as a means of improving their quality of life.
For the engagement, Baksh was accompanied by two senior officers in the Ministry, Regional Crop Extension Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Mr. Aaron Ramroop and Coordinator of the Community Drainage and Irrigation Project (CDIP) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Mr. Nankishore Persaud, who acted as resource persons.
St. Cuthbert’s Mission, with a population of 1,400, is located on the left bank of the Mahaica River, 65 miles from the coast and can be accessed through a trail from the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.
The ministerial team was greeted by Toshao of the St. Cuthbert’s Mission Village Council, Mr. Luke Simon, who, in a briefing, informed them that agricultural production, which was the mainstay of the community in the past, had declined in recent years.
He said that was because a large number of the able-bodied male villagers had opted for the gold fields where they felt that more lucrative employment could be found.
Simon added, however, that there are many others keen on resuming crops cultivation and would welcome support from the Ministry of Agriculture for the purpose.

Urgent need
He said there is urgent need for the presence, in St. Cuthbert‘s, of trained agricultural extension officers, for both crops and livestock, so that the villagers could benefit from effective technology transfer services which would increase their zeal for production and productivity.
Simon said St. Cuthbert’s could attain great heights in agriculture with adequate specialist support.
Baksh told the residents he had found that most farming activity in the village was of a subsistence type but he advised them: ”You have to move away from subsistence farming. You have to move towards formation of an agricultural group or association, towards large scale production. You cannot support your family in this manner in these modern days.”
He emphasised the importance of agriculture and the numerous possibilities of primary production and processing and urged the villagers not to give up on the land.
Baksh pointed out, to the villagers, that there are, presently, numerous opportunities provided by government for education in academic and vocational skills, many of these for hinterland students, and exhorted them to make the necessary sacrifices so that their children can benefit.
“Education is the surest way to escape poverty and acquire a better quality of life,” the minister maintained.
He also assured that youths from St. Cuthbert’s participating in tertiary education programmes on the coast, such as at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), would be allowed to return to  the village and share their knowledge and expertise on completion of their training.
Following the lively interaction with the residents, the minister and the rest of his team handed over quantities of seeds as well as  bait for acoushi ants, to Simon, for subsequent distribution.