THE Government of Guyana has announced that it will be providing financial assistance to the thousands of Guyanese who have been affected by the ongoing floods, which started more than three months ago.

In a broadcast message issued on Saturday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said that the assistance will cover various categories of households and farmers, and will not exceed a ceiling of $10 million per individual.

“In these categories, farmers within the context of a homestead would receive $100,000 each; those with kitchen gardens will receive $50,000 each, and households excluding homestead and kitchen garden will receive 50,000 each,” the Head of State said.

He noted that so far, approximately 52,000 households have been affected by the unprecedented levels of floodwaters.

“The combined assistance to homestead farmers, kitchen gardens and households for these categories will be in excess of $3.5 billion,” the President related.
He noted, too, that the rains have had a significant impact on the rice sector, with approximately 50,000 acres and 2,000 farmers being directly affected. As a result, support will be given to rice farmers on a categorised basis.

“For rice that was ready to harvest but lost in the floods, $80,000 per acre would be given to those farmers. For rice sown and lost in the autumn crop, these farmers will receive $65,000 per acre. For land that was completely prepared but was not sown, $45,000 per acre would be given to these farmers,” President Ali specified.

In addition to this, he said that 60,000 bags of seed paddy would also be made available for rice farmers.
“The combined assistance in these four categories would be in excess of $3.2 billion,” Dr. Ali noted.

He said that support for the livestock industry will also be given, based on categories of subsistence farmers, small farmers, medium farmers, and large-scale farmers. So far, in excess of 2,000 livestock farmers have been affected.
“In total, these four categories will benefit from in excess of $600 million direct transfers,” President Ali added.

Added to these direct transfers, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will be assisting through “genetic improvements,” as well as drainage and irrigation works, technical support, and extension services to the approximate value of $500 million.

The President said that emphasis would also be placed on continuing infrastructural works such as the rebuilding of dams, farm-to-market access roads, hinterland roads, mining roads, community roads, drainage systems, and other infrastructure that were destroyed or faced deterioration as a result of the floods.

“I am aware that this assistance will go a long way in bringing relief. However, it can never compensate for the emotional and social loss which I saw and experienced first-hand,” Dr. Ali acknowledged.

LOSSES
In reflecting on the devastation, the Head of State said that the floods, caused by heavy rainfall, resulted in some 300 communities being directly affected for a protracted period of time. An initial assessment shows the agriculture sector being most affected, with some 92,000 acres of farm and farmlands completely affected, and approximately $23 billion or more in loss of production.

The sugar industry suffered estimated losses of more than $1.5 billion in the fields, while more than 50 per cent of mining operations have been affected.
“Damage to the Forestry Sector, loss of production and damage to equipment is estimated at in excess of $8 billion,” Dr. Ali related.

He said, however, that the total socio-economic impact assessment is currently being examined by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
“This would give us an overall understanding as to the cost of this flood to the economy, regions and communities,” Dr. Ali said.

He reminded that since the beginning of the floods, the government’s priority was saving lives, protecting livelihoods, securing health services, and ensuring there was enough food and shelter to satisfy the needs of the people.

“These efforts saw the distribution of more than 80,000 food hampers, 45,000 cleaning hampers, and more than 5,000 medical kits across all 10 administrative regions. More than 10 shelters were established, and extensive support was given to farming communities,” the President related.

The Head of State had previously promised that once the emergency needs of the people are met, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government will be providing as much support as it can, to help persons rebuild their lives and recover from the floods.

RESILIENCE
With the continued threats of global warming, President Ali has pledged to work on an aggressive national drainage plan that is climate resilient and can mitigate climate events and disasters.
“More than 100 pumps and hundreds of excavators were deployed all across the country to support communities and farmers. In addition to this, the government deployed an extensive fleet of machinery to support regions and communities in their efforts. The structure to manage the flood included a Cabinet task force, a multi-stakeholder national emergency operation centre and 10 regional emergency operation centres.

“Having regards for the massive disruption in the economy and household level, particularly the agriculture sector, the government committed to direct transfers to households and farmers to allow them in the first instance, to return to some level of normalcy in their homes whilst supporting the Agriculture Sector to return to productive capacity, so as to mitigate against potential food shortages whilst at the same time supporting the farming community,” the Head of State related.

President Ali also took the time to express gratitude to “the thousands of Guyanese” here and in the diaspora, international agencies, and friends in the CARICOM community and elsewhere for their kind support during this period.

“I especially would like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture, the CDC, and all the other sectors that worked long beyond the call of duty to bring relief,” Dr. Ali said.