COGNISANT of the fact thatfarmers play an important role in the advancement of the sector and in keeping with the Agriculture Ministry’s renewed thrust to modernise the industry, more emphasis is being placed on sustaining it.Towards that objective, Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, on Wednesday, led a team of technical officers and Heads of Departments from the Ministry and its sub-agencies on an outreach exercise in the Mahaicony Creek, East Coast Demerara.
During the visit, meetings were held with cash crop, livestock and rice farmers of Mora Point and Gordon Table on the way forward and to address some of the deficiencies that presently exist.
Among the issues which affected residents were dam maintenance, irrigation water to farmlands, and non-payment for rice by millers.
Minister Ramsammy, while addressing the residents alluded to the fact that, while all is not well, the sector has come a far way.
Underscoring the importance of agriculture, he said that Government will do all it can to ensure that farmers’ livelihood is protected.
Assisting farmers
With respect to the withholding of cash to farmers by some millers, he announced that the Agriculture Ministry is working with the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) on assisting farmers.
He added that this move is to make sure that farmers can access their monies so that production can continue.
“This is necessary, as farmers have been the ones suffering, as a result of the negligence of some millers who are bent on exploiting the farmers. Our Government will never sit by and let this happen. No, we will do all in our power to ensure that all of the nation’s livelihoods are protected,” Ramsammy assured.
With respect to access of irrigation water to farmlands, he enlightened the residents of the new pump station construction, which has commenced in the Pine Ground area.
The ministerial team also visited the location where construction has been ongoing at a rapid pace and a request was made by farmers for the building of a dam in the Savannah area and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) is to look into that matter.
“Other than interventions, investment will also be made to have the access road, which is presently a mud dam, into a community road in the near future. I am also appealing to farmers to stop tampering with dams and drainage structures as you, sometimes, are your own worst enemies,” Minister Ramsammy said.
Good drainage is an essential ingredient in ensuring that favourable development takes place and the NDIA has been working round-the-clock to make sure that access to dams are passable at all times and two new bridges are expected to be constructed by NDIA at Hyde Park and Jagdeo Canal shortly, he informed.