MAHAICA-BERBICE (Region Five) Regional Member of Parliament Jennifer Wade has labelled the 2019 national budget a “blessed budget”, and during her budget presentation on Wednesday, noted several ‘blessings’ that the budget has bestowed on the Mahaica-Berbice region.

Making her contribution during the budget debate on Wednesday, Wade opened by commending the funds invested in all 10 of the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) across her region, much of which went to the rehabilitation and maintenance of drains and channels, as well as rehabilitation of structures and sluices and construction of roads and bridges.

Mahaica-Berbice was allotted some $3.2 billion in the 2018 budget, and is set to receive another $3.7 billion in 2019; and according to Wade, no hurdle will stand in the way of this development.

“Every street and every village benefited from the 2018 budgetary allocation. The non-support of the opposition in the region will not hinder the progress in the Mahaica-Berbice region. Instead, we are fully prepared to execute all works of the 2019 budget the same way we did in the previous years,” Wade declared.

Several of the infrastructural developments scheduled for the area covers the agricultural sector, which will see a new state-of-the art abattoir being built in 2019 at Onverwagt on the West Coast of Berbice.

“This initiative is very timely and important and is wholeheartedly welcomed,” Wade expressed.

Aside from the abattoir, $96 million is set aside for the upgrading of 14 access roads between farms and markets, with another $93 million in the budget for drainage and irrigation works.

Several street lights were also installed in 2018.
“Areas such as Ithaca, Perth and Golden Fleece can safely say they are out of the dark hole,” Wade noted.

Wade also pointed out that much emphasis was put on the development of women and families.
“With the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development Programme (SLED) remitted by Ministry of Social Protection, employment was created for women in several communities in Region Five. With the sum allocated [in 2019], women will most definitely continue to benefit,” Wade said.