– Belle West farmers say they’re in for the long haul, as farming’s not only therapeutic but the way to go these days

By Naomi Parris

FOR the last three months or so, Guyana, like other countries the world over, has been feeling the pinch, due largely to the many stringent measures that have had to be implemented to help slow the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Those measures and the uncertain political clime at the time notwithstanding, several farmers from the Belle West, West Coast Demerara community in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) have yet managed to keep themselves afloat and still spare a thought for those not as fortunate as they.
The farmers at reference, who all belong to a community-based group called the Farmers Advanced Network (FAN), have also managed to provide employment for quite a few persons.

an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Malika Deokarran related that despite the anxieties occasioned by the COVID-19 outbreak here and not having a steady income, she has been able to put a meal on her family’s table and provide some work for a few youngsters in her community.

“So far, it has been a real blessing, because in terms of the situation with the country, the COVID-19 and stuff, I’ve been able to provide work for persons,” Mrs. Deokarran said, adding: “And it’s also been good for me, because you can’t go anywhere and work. You have the piece of land; you could plant it and do something for yourself, so you don’t have to go out there.”

Presently, she said, she has about ten persons in her employ, and their job is to assist her with her daily affairs of the homestead.

And while, admittedly, sales have dropped a bit, she has still been managing with the little she is earning to provide for herself and employees.

Another farmer, Joy Beharry, told this publication that she has always had a liking for farming, but had only gotten into it seriously two years ago when she encountered some personal problems which forced her to quit her day-time job.

“I started some two years ago,” she said. “I had a little incident at home, where my mom got sick, and I needed to be at home now. I couldn’t work anymore; so I needed something that could generate income to assist my husband.”

Beharry disclosed that she was granted a piece of land through the FAN programme, and has since been able to feed her family and others, even during all the hardships associated with the coronavirus.

“It was something that I had a long interest in, but never had the access to have lands to cultivate,” Mrs. Beharry said. “I was given a plot of land, and since then, I have been cultivating some red beans. Now I want to get into some cash crops,” she added.

The Guyana Chronicle also caught up with Dhanpaul Samaroo, an ex-sugar worker from the Wales Estate, and he noted that he, too, has been able to reap the benefits of his hard work amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Samaroo said that through FAN, with which he has been associated since it was founded back in 2016, he was been able to acquire a few acres of land, and to date has been producing several crash crops and fruits.

“From the inception,” he said, “I’ve always had a love and passion for farming… As the closure of the estate began, NICIL/GuySuCo they gave us this opportunity to have this access, and we worked along with Mr. Charles Browne in getting the lands allocated to farmers and so forth. And here we are today, with a lot of produce coming out from that area, and few persons employed already.”