AN excavator dispatched by the Ministry of Agriculture to Victoria began work on Boxing Day to clear the drains in the East Coast Demerara village.

After years of neglect, the farmers of Victoria are now able to benefit from government’s intervention to improve farming in the village, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture said.

Last Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha visited Victoria to meet with farmers to discuss issues affecting them.

During the meeting, farmers made requests for urgent drainage works to be done, as heavily-silted drains have been leading to severe flooding in the village for years.

Minister Mustapha had told the farmers that a machine would be made available within the next three to five days to commence emergency drainage works, and on Boxing Day, a national holiday, he delivered on his promise.