THE May/June rainy season so far has been one that the agriculture sector can cope with, Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy told this paper in an interview at his Regent Road, Georgetown office.

However, he pointed out that it has not been disastrous for the sector, adding that it is the kind of rainy season the sector can tolerate since there are dry days in between.
Ramsammy said that fortunately most of the present rice crop has already been harvested, with just approximately four percent of the crop still to be harvested.
He noted that the few farmers who are still to harvest may lose their crops or the yields may be significantly affected.
Nevertheless, he related that the rice farmers who are currently doing land preparation for the next crop are benefitting from the rainy weather.
He stated also that for some farmers who have already begun to sow for the second crop, some amount of water is good for them, but it depends on the stage of the rice crops, because at some point too much water affects the plants.
Meanwhile, the minister related that the sugar industry has not been severely impacted upon by the rainy weather since no estate is currently  in operation. However, he stated that the constant rainfall would have an impact on land preparation for the next crop.
He also indicated that the conservancies are currently at manageable levels, and noted that there have not been much incidents of flooding, although there has been some residential flooding.
Ramsammy further advised that most of the ministry’s drainage pumps and sluices are working to satisfaction. He pointed out, though, that there are a few pumps which are operated by local authorities which lack optimal maintenance and had to be repaired when they were needed.
He also pointed out that there have been some minor issues due to the siltation of sluices, which he said is an ongoing problem. However, he assured that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) is continuously monitoring and maintaining the pumps and sluices.