Distribution of $7.8B flood relief starts in Reg. 6
Kenneth Arthur, a rice farmer of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) receives his flood-relief in the form of a cheque from Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC, at Friends Primary School in Sisters Village on Sunday (Richard Bhainie photo)
Kenneth Arthur, a rice farmer of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) receives his flood-relief in the form of a cheque from Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC, at Friends Primary School in Sisters Village on Sunday (Richard Bhainie photo)

– over $1 billion to be disbursed to 5,000 farmers and households within the region

By Nafeeza Yahya-Sakur and Richard Bhainie

SIXTY-YEAR-OLD Chetram (correct and only name), a rice and cattle farmer, was among hundreds of persons who turned up to receive the Government of Guyana’s flood-relief cash grant in Region Six (East Berbice – Corentyne) on Sunday; it is intended to provide financial assistance to persons ranging from those with kitchen gardens to massive rice farms who had been affected by the recent floods.

Chetram of Black Bush Polder was overwhelmed with emotion when he collected his cheque for $1.4 million. He told the Guyana Chronicle when the flood hit, it completely destroyed his 300 acres of rice land that were prepared for cultivation. He also lost a large number of cattle which were stuck in the savannah that was heavily inundated.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, speaking at Mibicuri Primary School, on Sunday, during the flood-relief distribution exercise

This loss caused him many sleepless nights and he was stressed because he had debts and had no clue as to how he would return to the lands. This government relief, he noted, will help him tremendously and had eased some of his emotional and financial burdens.

“When I watched my losses, I say ‘wha meh go do next?’ Especially how I tek things on credit. I am thankful I get this money. I will repay my credits that I take to start up the rice cultivation and then I can begin preparing to farm again,” Chetram expressed.

He noted that his farmlands were flooded in the past but he never received assistance from the government at that time.

“I must say thank you to President Ali and the Agriculture Minister and the government because I don’t know how else I would a get a start again.”

Sixty-year-old Chetram, a rice and cattle farmer, suffered millions of dollars in losses due to the massive flooding

The distribution of the cash grant was announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on August 1, 2021, who noted that approximately 52,000 households across 300 communities had been affected by the unprecedented level of floodwaters.

Meanwhile, Zaffiel Yusuff, a cash crop farmer of Chesney Housing Scheme, said the cash grant will provide a fresh start for him to continue his farming. The floods damaged his tomatoes, boulanger and bora plants. He said the money from the government will be used to purchase pesticides and other chemicals in addition to fertilizers so that he can commence farming again. He received a cheque for $50,000.

“After the flood, I lost everything cause I had just invested in plants and expand the cultivation. As soon as I change this cheque, I will buy drugs and spray out the place and start preparing and buy some seed to start set.”

Dian Leitch-Hinds, a farmer of Sandfort Village, West Canje, Berbice benefited from the flood-relief (Richard Bhainie photo)

Oliver Giddens, also from Chesney Housing Scheme, was a large scale pakchoi calaloo farmer, who did not have the means to resume his trade after the flood hit him; but with the grant, he is now elated and showered praises on the government.

“With the pandemic, things were already tough, but when the flood hit, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. But after I hear the government giving grant, I thought I woulda get some seeds and I would try to start back but with this money, I have some help I need to get back to farming and supplying the Chinese restaurant with white stem,” Giddens told this newspaper.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, while addressing recipients at the Mibicuri Primary School, Black Bush Polder, highlighted that the grant was essential for the preservation of the agricultural sector which was in decline when the Irfaan Ali-led government took office.

He explained that of the $7.6B funds allocated nationally, approximately $1B was being distributed to Region Six alone.

“We have made tremendous investments in the agriculture sector; we have seen increased budgetary allocations to the agriculture sector because we have seen the sector in decline when we took government in 2020 and today, although we would have suffered that devastating flood, this sector is once again on its rise,” the Agriculture Minister said.

Additionally, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, was also in the Region to overlook the distribution process. While at the JC Chandisingh Secondary School in Port Mourant, he noted the initiative was aimed at bringing immediate relief to people and to ensure they were able to return to productive activity.

“Kindly ensure you use it [the money] for the intended purpose because we want to see you planting again. We want you with your flocks back in place. We want to see your produce reaching the markets. We want to see your produce reaching the final consumers and we want to see you generating an income from the relief that is being provided today,” Dr. Singh said.

Over at the Friends Primary School in Sisters Village and the Rose Hall Estate Community Centre, hundreds of persons turned up where the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C., visited to kickstart the distribution exercise.

As part of the distribution exercise, farmers within the context of a homestead (farm, ranch, estate) would receive $100,000 each; those with kitchen gardens will receive $50,000 each, and households excluding homestead and kitchen gardens will receive 50,000 each.

The rains also had a significant impact on the rice sector, with approximately 50,000 acres and 2,000 farmers being directly affected. As a result, $80,000 in cash per acre was being given to those farmers; for rice sown and lost in the autumn crop, those farmers will receive $65,000 per acre; and for land that was completely prepared but was not sown, $45,000 in cash per acre would be given to those farmers.

Meanwhile, in excess of 2,000 livestock farmers had also been affected, and so, an aggregate of $600 million in direct transfers will be made available to subsistence farmers, small farmers, medium farmers, and large-scale farmers.

Nandlall told residents that the distribution exercise was a manifestation of the government’s promise being unfolded, despite the country being severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which had shaken the world’s economy.

“The world is not producing as it was a year ago; if you go into the hardware stores and you go into supermarkets, you’re going to see scarcity of goods and you will see the price consequently increasing; you go to the market, you will see the price of vegetables and fruits are skyrocketing.

“Why? Because you have this global pandemic and then we had the floodwaters, but the government has been able to find ways and means of handing back to the population these cash transfers to help you to cope with the difficulties that are presented to you on an everyday basis,” he added.

The money allocated to each beneficiary is calculated based on the losses they suffered. A list with names was prepared for the money to be distributed, and those who are not on the list, will receive their grants within two weeks once clarifications are made.

“So don’t be angry and annoyed and disappointed if you don’t get your cheques today, you will get it very shortly,” Nandlall told residents.

One of the beneficiaries, Dian Leitch-Hinds, of Sandfort Village, West Canje, Berbice, said she engages in rice, cash crop and livestock farming for her sustenance and to support her family.

Leitch-Hinds explained that she suffered tremendous losses during the floods but was very much “relieved” when she heard about the flood-relief exercise because at least she was “getting back something, instead of nothing at all” and she intended to use the grant to restart her production.

Kenneth Arthur, of Vryheid Village, West Canje, Berbice, told this newspaper that his over10 acres of rice lands were damaged; he explained he had to dive into his savings to sustain his family, so he “feels good” that he was about to get back “at least something.”

The flood-relief grants are an additional measure to the $25,000 COVID-19 relief cash grant which was distributed to each Guyanese household and the $19,000 ‘Because we care’ back to school cash grant which the government has distributed since taking office in August 2020.

Further, on August 16, 2021, President Ali announced three additional measures which will provide cash incentives totalling $2.6 billion, specifically targeting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and those who rely on public assistance.

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