–but he’s not about to give up on his West Watooka farm

By Naomi Marshall

WHEN Hiimyraj told me he did not have a surname, I thought he was trying to be funny, but then I wondered why his facial expression did not change. So I asked again.
He replied, “Me ain’t get no title. When meh been small, meh parents dem dead, and de documents dem lost, suh me never know what me real title.

“Meh just know is Hiimyraj. Suh meh nah really know meh father title or meh mother title.”
He has three children, and they were all given their mother’s surname.
Hiimyraj is from Crown Dam, Industry, on the East Coast Demerara, but has been living for the last three years in Linden, where he does farming in West Watooka for a living.
The 45-year-old said that presently, he is planting a wide variety of organic crops such as bora, pumpkin, and okra.

However, Hiimyraj has been experiencing drainage difficulties and pest invasion on his farm.

“Is bad blows me ah fetch wid de drainage heah; bad blows,” he said, adding: “De other day gone, rain come and flood down dis whole plat plain.
“Meh guh punish fuh start dig drainer and dem t’ing. Now de other problem is de grasshopper. Sometime dem t’ing grow big, big!
“And dis t’ing gun come and mek suh: Whappp! Eat out everyt’ing!” he explained.
Hiimyraj said that the pesticide he uses gives him no justice, as it’s too weak. And that as a cash-crop farmer, his income is being affected because of the pests.
“Sometime everyt’ing dead out,” he said, “and how long yuh nuh try fuh do somet’ing, you nah ah get no money.”

A farmer for the past 17 years, Hiimyraj says he’d be grateful if the government can look into the matter of drainage in the West Watooka area. “Dat would be really great, ‘cause like fuh how me alone deh in dis farm, it really hard; meh ah punish bad.”
Recently, Hiimyraj assisted a number of Sixth Form students of Mackenzie High School who were conducting observation as a part of their Environmental Science Internal Assessment.
According to Group Leader, Rennisa Webb, the group is investigating the environmental effects of the over-excessive use of fertilizers on peasant farms in West Watooka.
Therefore, the properties of Hiimyraj’s organic farm will be compared to another farm in West Watooka that produces inorganic crops in order to complete the investigation.