MINISTER within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Alli Baksh, has congratulated cash crop farmer Andy Patrick of Lima Sands for producing a healthy, jumbo water melon on his farm in the white sandy area of Lima Sands on the Essequibo Coast in Region 2.

This is the same area that many persons said cannot produce any crops.

The minister, who visited the area on Monday, told farmers at a meeting that cash crop farming is important to the agriculture sector of the country, and urged families to get involved in “family gardening”. He urged the farmers of the Lima Sands village to make use of the Ministry of Agriculture’s shade house and drip fertilizer technologies to boost cash crop farming in their community.

Minister Baksh said Field Officers of the Agriculture Ministry at Anna Regina would visit the farmers at Lima Sands to advise and teach them on how to use the new shade house and drip fertilizer technologies.

After the meeting, farmers thanked the minister for his commitment to push for the development of agriculture in their community.

(Rajendra Prabhulall in Essequibo)