Dear Editor,

With the new year just a few days in, it would be remiss of me not to wish everyone a prosperous and productive 2024.

This is a critical phase for government officials to pick up from where they left off in 2023 to continue along its developmental path.

The Ministry of Agriculture will be looking also to continue to provide its impeccable service to Guyanese and more so, Region Six where I was born and bred.

I particularly look forward to the massive works set to be executed by the National Drainage & Irrigation Authority where works on Hope-like canals will start.

Farmers, over the years, have endured enormous losses whether it is due to improper irrigation or excessive flooding caused by heavy rainfall; the last massive flooding was even worse with farmers still trying to “catch their level”.

The Ministry of Agriculture, notably, has been working with farmers around the clock to provide solutions and will deserve all the support they can get from supporters and the opposition who only seek to hunt for all the faults they can find.

Recently, it was reported in the news that works on these Hope-like canals will commence by February but work on the embankment for these structures will start within two weeks. Now with these initiatives, farmers will feel relieved when it comes to having proper irrigation and ultimately aiding in the release of excess water from the water conservancy into the Atlantic Ocean during extended periods of rainfall.

Touching a bit on the East Demerara Water Conservancy (Hope Canal) to highlight how important the project was when it was conceptualized and how important it remains today, this multimillion-dollar investment is one of Guyana’s largest drainage projects and was constructed following the 2005 major flooding that tore through agriculture and residential areas.

Since its construction, there have been no reports of major flooding and overtopping of the conservancy embankments but of course, it attracted criticism from the then useless and unproductive opposition; have they ever supported a major project embarked upon by the PPP? I will let the public answer that!

It must be noted that after the construction of the eight-door sluice structure, residents and farmers had praised the initiative over the years while noting that it had spared them from the heavy flooding they had experienced before its construction, and so with the implementation of structures similar to that in Regions Five and Six, I am certain the benefits will be enormous and the praises will be just as loud despite the empty opinions of criticisms of the opposition.

To date I cannot find a major project spearheaded by the former Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder, but the APNU/AFC finds the time to trash talk projects executed under the Ministry of Agriculture led by the Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha.

Minister Mustapha is taking a proactive approach when it comes to dealing with matters that could become key issues in the future, and the people of Region Six continue to look forward to his visionary leadership and providing innovative ways of enhancing the agriculture sector.

Respectfully,
Fawaz Harry