Region Two has developed by leaps and bounds
PEOPLE’S Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) for Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Mr. Farouk Khan has attested that the Region is on the move and has been developing.
He spoke of it in his presentation during the Budget Debate last week in the National Assembly, when he took the opportunity to congratulate Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh.
It was well crafted in the favour of the ordinary people and the working class, Khan said of the 2010 Budget.
Detailing some of the achievements in the Region, he said, last year, it spent more than $545M and received $277.5M that were all well spent in the Region.
“Every area in the Region to which you go, every village on the coast, every village in upper and lower Pomeroon and every Amerindian community, you can see progress,” Khan boasted.
He declared he was surprised that an Opposition member said the Amerindians in this country live primitively.
“I think that’s an insult to our Amerindian brothers and sisters,” said Khan, noting that, in Region Two, in every Amerindian community there is a health post with trained health workers and schools with teachers and, in some communities, even solar systems to enable them to have electricity for their homes.
About drainage and irrigation (D&I), he said the Region has approximately 32,500 acres of land under rice cultivation and another 30,000 acres with other crops and cattle.
He said for capital works in that area last year, more than $106M wee spent for the construction of concrete boxes, culverts, timber bridges and irrigation checks etc. in places such as Riverstown, Bush Lot and Better Success.
Khan said $82M went to maintain the D&I systems, to clear canals, repair dams and sluice gates among other works.
“I can safely say that we have been rewarded for it with increased production. For last year, we had the highest production of rice in Region Two for the past ten years, with 1.9M bags of paddy,” he reported.

Neglected
Khan said the Region is now seeing the benefits of the Dawa pump station that he charged was neglected under the People’s National Congress (PNC).
He said $406M were expended to complete and rehabilitate the pumping facility with the installation of four new pumps.
“Today, I can safely say that, in this Spring crop 2010, we will be able to save at least 70 to 75 per cent of the rice because of this investment,” Khan said.
He said the Farmers Field School has been of great interest and Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) in collaboration with Rice Producers Association (RPA) takes farmers to the fields for demonstrations to educate them and, because of the knowledge gained, it has been successful and they are increasing their production.
Khan said the Region’s farmers are producing the best quality paddy through the Field School.
He reported that exchange visits were also planned and executed where farmers from the region visited others in Regions Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands, Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) to look at cultivations there, exchange views and ideas to learn from each other.
Khan said production from farms has increased, especially in the Pomeroon area.
“And, if you drive through the Pomeroon. you can see the farms are flourishing, again. This is because of direct help from this Government,” he added.
Khan said there has been increased production in coconut, citrus and ground provisions.
“I am happy to report that, in the Pomeroon itself, coconut water is being bottled and exported to Trinidad,” he disclosed.
He said dry coconuts, copra and ground provisions are all exported from the Pomeroon and “very soon, Pomeroon will regain its rightful place as the bread basket of the Caribbean.”
Khan said there were a number of visits by the agriculture extension officers in all the areas including Amerindian communities, to offer advice and train farmers through three livestock seminars and four crop seminars, which helped to educate the farmers to be more efficient and effective and help them increase their production and productivity.

Interest
In relation to aquaculture, he said more and more farmers are showing interest to diversify and be involved in it.
Khan said, in Anna Regina, there is a fish culture station equipped with laboratory facilities for research and development and information transfer to students and stakeholders.
The PPP/C MP said sea defence works are ongoing at Good Hope and Zorg, at a cost of $80M, while in other work will continue on Essequibo Coast.
In the realm of health, which he agreed is very important, Khan said Region Two is offering quality care with primary health care extended to every area through 18 health posts, 11 health centres, one district hospital and a regional hospital and specialised medical treatment at Suddie Diagnostic Centre.
However, he said, while they have been spending money in the secotr, they have not been getting full value for it because some medical personnel are not performing and delivering.
In housing development, Khan said Government has established 12 schemes and regularised three squatter settlements.
Of the schemes, ten have water, electricity and paved roads and many of them have been handed over to the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the Town Council.
He said, this year, the authorities hope to regularise the last squatter settlement and do some extension work at Onderneeming.
Khan said more and more people are accessing low income housing loans and, last year, 937 applications for house lots were received and, through the Ministry of Housing and Water ‘One Stop Shop’, 677 persons were interviewed and 507 lots allocated with 217 titles and 391 transports issued.
“Region Two is on the move. Region Two is not the Region that it was in 1992. We have developed by leaps and bounds, thanks to the PPP/C Government and the yearly increase of budgetary allocation,” he maintained.
“I can’t understand the Opposition, actually, every speaker did not see anything good in this budget and so in previous budgets.”
“I wish to commend this budget and appeal to my brothers and sisters on the other side to support this 2010 budget for the benefit of people who you also claim to represent,” Khan concluded.