THE Guyana Agricultural Producers Association (GAPA), in collaboration with the subject ministry, the Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam) Administration, National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC), has distributed more than 100 seedling avocado plants to flood-affected farmers of Akawini and Little Try Best in the Lower Pomeroon River.GAPA representative in Region 2 Mr. Dawood Khan said the farmers’ organisation undertook the distribution in an effort to help those who had suffered losses on their farms through flooding, during the heavy December/ January rainfall.
Khan, who interacted with the recipients, at Little Try Best and Akawini, to find out their problems in terms of marketing and production said those at the former are requesting an excavator to empolder some 360 acres of fertile, virgin land to increase production of fruit, ground provisions, plantain, bananas and vine crops.
According to him, farmers said, when the rainy season starts their area is flooded and crops are destroyed because it is not empoldered.
He said that if the land is empoldered and properly developed, some 25 families will benefit and production of vegetables, ground provisions and fruit will increase.
The GAPA representative was accompanied by a field officer of the Department of Agriculture.