–Agriculture Minister tells Region Six farmers

IN a meeting with rice farmers on Wednesday, at the New Market Primary School in No. 63 Village, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha committed to having all dams fixed, and canals assessed and improved to ensure farmers are protected during the rainy seasons.

“I want to commit this afternoon that we will fix all the dams, which will happen very soon,” Minister Mustapha said.
He, however, cautioned farmers to be cognisant that the dams are meant to be accessible by all farmers, and that they need to consider how they use them so everyone can benefit.

Minister Mustapha proposed a hybrid system of awarding the contract to farmers possessing the means to fix the dams, as well as contractors outside of the sector. He asked, instead, that committees be set up to monitor the work so that value-for-money could be achieved.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the distribution of fertilizer vouchers, the Agriculture Minister said this would be available within the next week.
The delay, he said, was caused by persons trying to dupe the system, which resulted in a further verification process being needed.

A committee comprising 28 persons in Region Six vetted and verified the names on the list, and will also assist in distributing the fertilizers when they become available.
To combat this unscrupulous behaviour, the minister has ordered a ‘Farmer’s Register’ to be created.

Persons have already been trained, and will be travelling across Guyana to commence the registration process for the Register.
Turning his attention to the future of agriculture in Guyana, Minister Mustapha highlighted that while the prospect may look bright, rice farmers need to work alongside the government to help the sector realise its full potential.

“The agriculture sector is continuing to move forward, and when you look at what is in store, the future looks bright; but all of us have to work together, because it is not a one-way street, and not only the government will have to deliver.

“We must form that partnership to work with you, the farmers,” Minister Mustapha charged.
The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to the sector by highlighting the budgetary allocations to the industry over the past three budgets, which has continued to grow since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) returned to government in 2020.

Minister Mustapha also stressed the need to request an additional $1.2 billion in supplementary funding to address critical drainage and irrigation issues plaguing the nation.
He explained that the ‘proof is in the pudding’ regarding climate change, as the nation is now experiencing a prolonged rainy season with high-intensity rainfall that shatters the monthly average for previous years.

“Previously, we were getting an average of seven to eight inches of rainfall, with a maximum of 12 inches per month in the rainy season; now, in two hours, we are getting seven to eight inches in just two hours, and the water is so much, it puts a strain on the systems in place. Even as we put measures to complement them, it is not enough.

“All sluices around the country must have a pump when the tide comes back; there is a pump to complement the drainage of those areas,” Minister Mustapha said.
To this end, the Minister said that by the end of 2022, an additional 11 drainage pumps will be added to the drainage system.

There is also work being done to secure another 40 drainage pumps to be spread across the country to help combat the heavy rainfalls.
In light of the foregoing developments, the minister disclosed that a massive permanent drainage infrastructure is on the cards, and that it should come on stream early next year.

“We want to create independent drainage infrastructure for independent drainage, so we can drain the backland water right out to the Atlantic [Ocean] rather than using the domestic drainage system that we have that drain the cultivation and the housing area.

“So, I’m very optimistic that in the new year, we will have those works commence. And, in Region Six alone, we have about five of those infrastructures that will be built.
“We have already had the study done; we had the consultation at various levels, and we are working to do the design. So, hopefully, we can have permanent drainage systems very soon,” Minister Mustapha noted further.

Additionally, the minister announced that the region will soon benefit from a grader.
Farmers from all across the region had the opportunity to raise issues that are affecting them, and they were immediately addressed by the Agriculture Minister.