CASH-CROP farmers in the small Amerindian community of Hururu up the Berbice River in Region 10 are at their wits end with the constant raid on their farms by wild animals and pests. Hururu with a population of 600 residents is a primarily logging community, but the handful of men and women who prefer to plough the land to feed themselves and their community are regretting making such a choice after facing the reality that the animals are the ones reaping what they had sowed. Hansel Vandenburg is a large-scale farmer, who primarily focuses on cash crops. He told the Guyana Chronicle that he lost over $200, 000 in crops that were destroyed by pests last season, excluding what was lost to wild animals.
No help from NAREI Officer
Vandenburg in voicing his frustration said that the community was promised months ago a visit from an officer attached to the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), but to date this has not materialised, though the promises were made several times. The purpose of the officer’s visit is to disseminate knowledge and guidelines to the farmers to eradicate pests and also to provide them with the necessary chemicals to do so. “But four months now he promised to visit us but never showed up, we need to know what is going on with these pests, because our crops, especially banana, we have an outbreak of this particular disease…I explained to the young man that we had 300 acres of banana and plantain last season and those bananas and plantain haven’t come to anything proper, they ain’t turn out well because of the disease that fall on them; this season I am planting and I am still waiting to see the guy,” he related.
Another farmer, Ken Campbell, decided to purchase a pesticide for the crops so as to save the few that have remained and after realising its ability to get rid of the pests, shared with other farmers who were also able to save some of their crops. Campbell however related that the pesticide is expensive and that is why the help is needed from institutions such as NAREI.
The farmers are also worried about losing more during the imminent rainy season, especially cash crops such as cabbage, as they are not equipped with the special covering needed to guard them from the heavy rains. “Right now I have like 500 roots of cabbage, if this sudden rain is going to come it is going to damage the roots, now I don’t have that covering, I don’t know if they [NAREI] can help us in some way.”
Wild animals reaping
The farmers also bemoaned the situation of the wild animals raiding their crops and feel as though there is not much that can be done about the situation, as the law stipulates that wild animals should not be killed. These wild raiders include the monkeys, rabbits, jaguars and many more. “That is the greater pest, they destroy the papaws everything, everything…these savannah fox they eat the pineapples plenty, the monkeys destroy the pineapples, the rabbits eat all the pumpkins…we are just farming for the animals. I could have gotten hunters to come and shoot down these things, but the council said you can’t shoot them,” Vandenburg stressed.
The farmer said that the significant losses are extremely frustrating, as it is his only means of income. “Is only who feels it knows it, you are there to make rules and regulations and all kinds of things, but you never went in the situation; what about our children’s school uniforms, exercise books, college funds, exam funds, whose providing that, we have to provide it,” he said.
The farmer recommends that the authorities visit the farm areas to see what could be done to assist them or to grant them firearm licences to protect their farms.
Demand on the low
Another challenge being faced by the farmers is the diminishing of the markets as everyone is turning to subsistence farming to provide for their families, given the unavailability of jobs in the area. The farmers who previously tapped into markets in Hururu and Kwakwani say there is now a need to venture out, but transportation is an issue. “Where is the steamer they promised us to buy this produce and to look out for the farmers in the river? The area here is not doing quite well because of the economy, so we need external markets, but what about the transportation?” Vandenburg asked. The farmers, despite these challenges, are not planning to “throw in the towel” any time soon, but are calling on NAREI,the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government to provide the assistance they need to fully benefit from farming.