RICE farmers along the Corentyne who were recently impacted by heavy rainfall are set to benefit from compensation through the government’s crop insurance programme, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has announced.
Speaking during the launch of the ‘Farmer Connect’ agri mobile application earlier this week, Minister Mustapha said approximately 85 per cent of the country’s rice farmers have already registered for the scheme, making Guyana the first in the Caribbean to introduce such an initiative.
“When we had the heavy rainfall a few weeks ago, especially in the Corentyne, I learned that some of the farmers living in those areas would receive compensation from the insurance company for that kind of heavy rainfall. That is the kind of benefit we are bringing to the farmers,” Mustapha said.
The insurance project, launched in July through collaboration among the Ministry of Agriculture, UPL Costa Rica, Philip Morris International and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), aims to protect farmers from losses caused by extreme weather events such as floods and droughts.
Guyana typically experiences two wet seasons and two dry seasons because of its equatorial location, a longer wet season from May to June, and a shorter one from late November to January. But recent reports from the Hydrometeorological Service show extended dry periods resembling droughts, and in other cases, intense rainfall that has caused widespread flooding.
Once losses due to drought or flooding are verified, compensation will be deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts, allowing them to recover quickly and return to cultivation.
Minister Mustapha had indicated that he will soon meet with affected farmers to further assess the recent impact and ensure eligible persons access the support available under the insurance programme.
This publication had previously reported that registration will be continuous for each crop cycle.
Ten new weather stations were to be installed across major rice-growing regions and integrated with the existing hydromet network, creating a more accurate and comprehensive weather-monitoring system.
The data collected will determine whether a region has experienced rainfall outside of the normal threshold. If so, farmers in that area will be eligible for payouts to help them return to their fields.
During a previous interview, Travis Pilgrim, an extension supervisor at the GRDB, had explained that at the start of each registration period, extension officers visit farming regions to conduct outreaches and collect basic bio-data, including banking information.
Once there is verified loss due to drought or flood, payouts are triggered and deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts.
