-say they eagerly await bountiful harvests, sustainable livelihoods

By Bebi Shafeah Oosman

FARMERS on the East Bank of Berbice are beginning to return to their lands following a government initiative which includes the clearing of five acres for 75 of them to plant various crops.

This initiative is aimed at revitalising agricultural activity in the area and providing farmers with the support they need to resume cultivation.

Raynard Ward, former APNU+AFC parliamentarian is one of the farmers who has benefitted from the Ministry of Agriculture’s land clearing initiative.

During this publication’s visit to the area on Tuesday, he said that a committee was set up to oversee the process.

“Through that committee, lands were cleared for various farmers, a number of farmers which included myself. We had about five acres cleared and some drains dug behind me is the area where we had a lot of vegetation. This was a jungle with trees towering over twenty metres in some cases and that was cleared and, on the ground, right now is the crops we put in after that land was cleared,” he said.

Ward said that previously it was difficult for them to clear the lands themselves for cultivation. However, through the government initiative “this land is now able to produce and add some amount of income to the farm.”

Presently, Ward is growing watermelons, pumpkins, plantains, cassava, and ginger which were provided by National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).

Touching on how the initiative itself has started to transform the lives of farmers within the area, Ward said: “For one, people are spending more time on their farms because they have more land to cultivate and I can only project that they will have a better income once they utilise the gift that was given to them.”

Personally, he said that his time is taken up since the clearing as he awaits his harvest period. “From all the indications, I will be gaining some amount of income from the farm that I couldn’t have otherwise gotten if the land wasn’t cleared,” he added.

In years to come, Ward stressed that once the initiative continues, the East Bank of Berbice will likely return to its “glory days” under the PPP/C Government “where truckloads of produce entered New Amsterdam then to other locations.”

He continued, “East Bank used to produce a lot of food. We have the land to produce a lot of food, we have the water, we have almost everything but the community is a poor community. During my lifetime, I would have suffered tremendously, my parents would have suffered tremendously because of poor drainage. You get flooding, you lose your crop and you don’t have the income to go back into your farm and to develop but with the initiative of assisting farmers in clearing and draining their land, they get more productive, they make more money and they can live a better life.”

Furthermore, Ward revealed that he had approached the previous APNU+AFC administration with the idea of launching a similar project, but his efforts fell on deaf ears.

IMPORTANCE TO THE REGION

However, despite this setback, when the current PPP/C administration took office, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, recognised the project’s potential and importance to the region.

With a strong commitment to supporting farmers, Minister Mustapha ensured the initiative moved forward, ultimately benefitting those in the agricultural community on the East Bank of Berbice.

Meanwhile, Ward further pointed out that another positive of the project is farmers who had migrated from the area wanting to return. A few have already contacted him expressing their desire to come on board. “So, the impacts are all positive so far and we just wish it will continue…,” he added.

Another farmer, 31-year-old Amkar Ramjattan, expressed his excitement upon hearing about the land-clearing initiative.

He shared that he was overjoyed knowing that the project would finally allow him to develop his land and create a sustainable livelihood for his family.
The father of two said: “I must thank the government and the agriculture minister for clearing the land. I making use of it and I’m planting watermelon, beans, corn and I get citrus coming now, cucumber, bora, guava, sucker and I doing coconut over there.”

Ramjattan said that he was a part-time worker before his land was cleared. “Now that it clear, I’m planting and I’m reaping and I’m thankful. It helps me improve my life because every day we can sell one $2000 and me seeing the development and me seeing a lot of money from the farm.”

Ovid Phillips, 74, a farmer who is a part of the land clearing committee explained that in the PlegtAnker, East Bank Berbice area, around 25 farmers will benefit while another 50 are from the surrounding areas.

“They almost finish about 20 farms in PleghtAnker, clearing the land and the drainage. They doing it from PleghtAnker go right back to Mara but they get three different contractors working.”

Diving into the plan, Phillips explained, “As soon as they put in the drainage and we get the weather, the people will start planting. They will plant different crops, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and later on, they will do the permanent plant. Some people will plant coconut and citrus.”

He stressed, “The farmers are benefitting from this project and we must thank the government for doing this.”