RESIDENTS of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) are set to benefit from enhanced drainage as Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, handed over five excavators to bolster the region’s fleet of machinery.

Mustapha, on Saturday, handed over two small excavators to the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) in Black Bush Polder and one large excavator with two minis at the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority office in Tarlogie, Corentyne.

The Sunday Chronicle understands that the large excavator costs $46 million, while the mini ones cost $13.5 million each. The Agriculture Minister explained that the machines were procured under the ministry’s Flood Risk Management Project.

At the Tarlogie location, Mustapha warned that the machines must be used to bring relief to the farmers and residents. However, some farmers informed Mustapha that machines are frequently moved to different locations before finishing the initial tasks within their areas.

As such he said, “It seems that a few persons are making decisions behind our backs and it’s affecting not them, it’s affecting the government and we have to stop that immediately.”
He then made it clear that the public works will be done before they can assist any private farmer’s work, noting that the first communities to benefit will be Cromarty and Phillipi.
“Nobody, no NDC will have the authority to move it out from this area,” Mustapha assured residents.

He then noted that while all the canals cannot be done at once, the main canals will be prioritised, directing that the region takes control of the machines instead of the NDIA.
Additionally, he ordered that the other two machines are used by the region to desilt internal drainage, starting with the most vulnerable areas.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister also requested a report on the machines that are currently out of service within the region. He stated that four of the small machines will be repaired and assigned to various communities, remaining in place until the necessary work is completed.

“How many need to be fixed we will fix those and assign them to the various local government bodies.”
Meanwhile, Mustapha also delivered two mini excavators to the MMA-ADA at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice.
Procured for approximately $27 million also under the Ministry’s Flood Risk Management Project, these excavators are expected to enhance the MMA’s fleet and assist in desilting internal drainage systems within the MMA scheme.

Minister Mustapha also announced that two young women trained under the BIT programme have been employed as operators for the new equipment.
Venita Chatergoon, 27, from Number Five Village, shared that she was previously a security officer but enrolled in the BIT programme to gain essential skills, while Divya Ragbir, 22, expressed her excitement about her new job and thanked the government for providing opportunities for youth to acquire vital skills.

Like the AIEP, the BIT programme is another initiative by the government that has opened doors for hundreds of young people to gain skills and enhance their livelihoods.