By Jeune Bailey Vankeric
THE residents of Sandvoort village, Berbice have pledged to promote village development through self help, as they seek to improve economic activities in the predominantly African community.
Situated about three miles east of the New Amsterdam Township in the East Berbice/Corentyne Region, the residents made the commitment during a farmers meeting on Thursday, at the Sandvoort Nursery School, where several pieces of agricultural equipment were handed over to the farmers group by Junior Minister of Agriculture, Valarie Patterson-Yearwood.
Member of Parliament, Barbara Pilgrim-Roberts; Regional Executive Officer, Kim Williams –Stephen; Former Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Simpson DaSilva, along with technical and agricultural staff, were in attendance.
Minister Patterson-Yearwood’s visit came on the heels of a televised broadcast which focused on the needs of the community. Consequently, she opted to visit the area in order to listen to the concerns and issues facing the residents while they listed several recommendations.
The minister warned that all recommendations cannot be addressed, but she said that as plans are made for the future, some recommendations can be included in the national budget.
During an interactive session, residents aired their views on a several matters ranging from the condition of access dam to rice plots, clogged trenches, flooding during excess rainfall resulting in the loss of cash crops , non-availability of grazing grounds for animals, on-going training for bee keepers, burn brick project, and incompetent contractors.
During the interactions there was the issue of low estimates by engineers that gained attention of everyone at the meeting as villager ‘Reggie’ emphasised the unrealistic estimates which he said drives away contractors from the village.
“When an engineer gives an estimate depends on whether the work will be completed. If it’s a low estimate, then, it will not attract contractors. We need reliable contractors to revisit our sea defence dam project,” he said.
Other issues that were also well supported by villagers included the need for a reservoir and access to Calabash Creek pump in preparation for rice cultivation.