THE Ministry of Agriculture has issued bids for empoldering farmlands in the Upper and Lower Pomeroon River, Region Two.

According to an invitation to bids issued by the ministry under the purview of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), reputable contractors are being sought for empoldering works at Pickers Gill, Arapiarco, Abrams Creek, Warapana, Siriki and Dredge creek at an engineer’s estimate of $340,300,000.

Bids are also being sought for work on Jacklow farmlands at an engineer’s estimate of $55,800,000.

Meanwhile, in lower Pomeroon region, works are being perused at Cozier Canal, Martindale and Strong Hope Canal at an engineer’s estimate of $186,400,000.

Bids are also being sought to empolder lands at Hackney Canal and Akawini Front at an engineer’s estimate of $37,250,000.

Bids for these works are to be submitted no later than May 23, 2023, and will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) procedures, as specified in the procurement act 2003.

Contractors are reminded that all bids must be accompanied by valid certificates of compliance from the manager of the national insurance scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

President, Dr Irfaan Ali, during a recent visit to the Pomeroon region last week had, disclosed that over $2 billion has already been invested into advancing the agriculture sector in the region since 2020.

To ensure that farmers can earn from their produce, the government is also seeking to introduce the production of high-valued crops by establishing shade houses.

“We understand also that small farmers need to live from day to day and to have revenue coming in on a monthly basis, so I have asked the Agriculture Minister to look at ways we can find high-value crops that can be done under shade houses to help the small farmers,” Dr. Ali said.

There he recommitted the government’s support to farmers in the region as government plans to explore investment opportunities for the benefit of farmers.

“We need to ensure that agriculture is sustainable and resilient. One of the projects we are working on for the Pomeroon is to see how we can get big investors with huge capital to work with the small farmers.”

Already, some 550 farmers in the Pomeroon River will be receiving elevated beds, while two mini excavators are scheduled to soon arrive in the region to provide much-needed assistance.