MINISTER of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has indicated that the first set of 14 drainage pumps, being acquired  through an Indian line of credit, are expected to arrive in the country during the course of this week.

He told the Guyana Chronicle that the six of those coming on March 7 are mobile and the additional eight, of the fix side types, are in their final stages of manufacture.
Engineers from here are going to India later this month to  evaluate and examine the pumps.
“These are not pumps that you pick out from the factory. They have to be made to design and so what we have to do is to see it operating. We have to make sure that the contractor is following the specifications and so on,” he pointed out.
Ramsammy mentioned that the pumps will have to be assembled and operated in India like when they are here, so that any flaws can be identified and corrected before they are shipped.
Nevertheless, the arrival of the second shipment is scheduled for some time in May.
However, some components of the machines have already  arrived as they were shipped separately and collected by the Ministry.
Ramsammy said stations have to be constructed to house the fixed pumps and tenders were put out and contracts for them evaluated and awarded.
“…and so we are expecting those to begin construction now, so that, by the time the pumps are here and ready to be installed, the pump houses are completed,” he explained.
The Minister said the first set of installations would be done at Pine Grove, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara and Rose Hall and Albion, Corentyne, Berbice.
All of them, though, are being secured through the US$4M Indian line of credit.