MEMBERS of the Ithaca Agricultural Land Development Coop Society(IALDCS) are calling on GUYSUCO for compensation for damage of some fifty acres of cash crops aback of their village as a result of aerial spraying of herbicides by the Corporation.
Chairman of the Co-op, Desmond Weeks, earlier this week, disclosed that, in the third week of December, GUYSUCO used a crop duster to spray a suspected herbicide on its lands at Blairmont but also- seemingly inadvertently- killed crops in a neighbouring plot of the Co-op.

“A farmer observed the aircraft spraying an area about 800 metres away from the coop lands. The damage to crops, mainly vine crops such as bora and water melons on the co-op’s lands was observed the following day,” he said.

He disclosed that a report was made, subsequent investigations by GUYSUCO were done in late December, but members of the co-op have heard nothing since then. “Since then, late December, we are yet to hear from GUYSUCO on what they intend to do.”
He said that reports about the incident had also been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Co-ops Department.

He said that over a dozen farmers had suffered loss of crops as a result of the aerial spraying in December. Weekes questioned why the spraying was done in such close proximity to the Co-op’s cultivation.

Weekes disclosed that members of the Co-op decided to relate their problem, publicly, because they were not inspired by GUYSUCO’s response after the initial investigations.
He said: “Farmers in other communities in West Coast Berbice have, in the past, lost crops to aerial spraying of herbicides by GUYSUCO and have been compensated for their losses.
He stressed: “We want compensation from GUYSUCO moreso since we cannot understand why they authorized this activity so close to areas cultivated by the Co-op in the first place.”