SUBSEQUENT to reports that an extended wet period would prevail, Minister
of Agriculture Robert M. Persaud convened a team consisting of senior
technical officers from the ministry to assess the current La
Nina conditions and implement interventions to ensure farmers are not
adversely affected. The minister and a team of officers have
conducted a series of visits in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten to interact with farmers and discuss possible interventions.

The team has already identified numerous supports and will continue to
examine additional interventions to support farmers’ activities,
particularly in the rice, livestock and cash crop growing regions that were affected by La Nina conditions.

With regard to supporting rice farmers, the Guyana Rice Development Board
(GRDB) and the MMA are providing farmers with fuel to pump water from their lands. They are working with GUYSUCO and the MMA to grade dams in the areas where reaping is about to take place, so that farmers will be able to bring their paddy from the fields. However this is dependent on the weather as well. The GRDB is also continuously conducting an assessment and verification of acreage of rice crop lost with the aim of supporting farmers with seed paddy and fertilizer during the next crop.

GuySuCo indicated that the present conditions resulted in lost opportunity days in the areas of harvesting and land preparation.

On the East Demerara estates which were adversely affected, at LBI all the nine fixed drainage pumps are operable in addition to the 80 tonne per min Hydra Flow pump which was placed at Montrose along with two irrigators at LBI sluice. At Enmore, nine out of the ten fixed drainage pumps are operable. Repairs to the affected pump at Strathspey are completed; however, the base of the pump has to be de-watered before it can be re-installed.

In addition, to these fixed drainage pumps at Enmore, three irrigators are currently in place and working, one each at Strathspey, Foulis and Hope. A fourth one is currently being mobilized from Blairmont to be placed at Hope. Surveillance of the cultivation has been stepped up with special emphasis on the conservancy dam that falls within the boundaries of the two estates. All drainage pumps are being monitored on a 24 hour basis by senior officers of the ministry and the estates.

On the West Demerara estates, all nine drainage sluices are operable.
Senior personnel from the estates have also been managing the sluices to
ensure they are opened and closed on time.