Distribution of $7.8B flood relief to start this week
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, has been on the ground ever since the floods started in May
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, has been on the ground ever since the floods started in May

— names of recipients being finalised

DURING the course of this week, the government will begin the much-anticipated distribution of flood-relief cash grants. This was confirmed by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who said that efforts were ongoing to finalise the list of beneficiaries of the grants.
“That list should be submitted to the Ministry of Finance by tomorrow [Monday] or so. We are now finalising everything,” minister Mustapha said.
He said that even though the distribution was expected to start sooner, as previously indicated by President Dr. Irfaan Ali, there were some additional verification of losses that had to be done.

The names of recipients are expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance today

Nonetheless, with the list being wrapped up, minister Mustapha said that the distribution of the flood-relief monies was likely to take the form of the education cash grant, which was being rolled out countrywide, in the presence of various ministers of government and other key stakeholders.
It was on August 1, 2021, that President Ali announced his government’s intention to provide financial assistance to various categories of persons who had been affected by the ongoing floods, which started more than three months ago.

Dr. Irfaan Ali had said then that the assistance will cover various categories of households and farmers, and that it 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 approximately 52,000 households across 300 communities had 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 recognised, too, that the rains 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.

BRINGING RELIEF

“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.
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.
Minister Mustapha told the Guyana Chronicle, on Sunday, that those who suffered losses but were not included in the assessments, can still reach out to the Ministry of Agriculture to have the verification done. “We could accommodate them if their losses are genuine and we can see proof,” the Agriculture Minister posited.
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.

LOSSES

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 are estimated at in excess of $8 billion,” Dr. Ali previously related.
As it is, the total socio-economic impact assessment is currently being examined by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Even as the report is being finalised, efforts have commenced to repair and rebuild, especially as it relates to critical 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.

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.
During a recent airing of ‘Parliamentary Agenda’ on the National Communications Network, Senior Minister in the Office of the President, Dr. Ashni Singh opined that the 2021 floods have been far more devastating than the infamous 2005 floods, since the latter primarily affected the coastland, while this year’s flood brought unimaginable devastation throughout the country, particularly in the rural and hinterland regions.

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