Credit must be given to PPP/C Administration

Dear Editor,
Farmers of West Watooka, on Tuesday, Dec 8, 2020 complained about the severe canal flooding, infrastructure, lack of drainage and irrigation services in their communities.
These concerns were raised during an outreach to Region 10 communities by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. The Minister visited West Watooka, Nottinghamshire and Bamia, during which he was told that many farmlands in the area are in terrible condition, making it almost impossible for farmers and residents to farm on the land.

“It has become frustrating when you have land but cannot farm. Farmers in Nottinghamshire expressing similar dilemma, that drainage is really bad and help is need in the communities. It has reached to a stage where farmers are concerned about their loss, which is causing distress in the community as well.
One cattle farmer from Christianburg said he too has suffered loss; he has no access to pasture land to graze his cattle, which resulted in loss of cattle through theft. This has been costly for him, since his cattle are left to roam the streets of Wismar.

However, Bamia and Moblissa had a different concern – the shortage of water in the area. Farmers and residents indicated to the Minister that water is a critical input for agricultural production, and plays an important role in food security and irrigation. Irrigated land is on average at least twice as productive as land that is not properly irrigated, allowing for more production intensification and crop diversification. Ensuring water supply for a secure and economically viable agriculture will be necessary in Bamia and Moblissa. New approaches must be developed in water management for agricultural purposes, and investments have to be made to develop existing irrigation system. Low-cost and small-scale option in water harvesting, irrigation and drainage are necessary for these small rural communities which may have to rely on manual power or solar operated treadle pump.

In addressing the farmers, Minister Mustapha said, “I want to assure you that we will support you, and we will work with you to ensure that we resolve these problems. I will come back here within a period of time to ensure that all the things that we are saying here are completed.
In relation to the complaints of the drainage and irrigation systems in the area, the Minister said a team from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) would return to the community to assess the amount of work needed to be done in the community, during which equipment will be sent to clear the canals. Additionally, he told farmers that the Ministry is currently working to ensure that all agriculture stakeholders, especially farmers, receive the best services to spark more interest in the agriculture sector.
“Our focus, our objective, is to ensure that we now reignite people’s interest in agriculture. There is a saying around the country, “Since we have oil and gas, those will bring in lots of money,” but that will not be the case, because one day those resources will be exhausted, but agriculture is here to stay,” he said.

Minister Mustapha has said outreaches to farming communities countrywide have sparked a renewed interested in agriculture. Since the PPP/C took office in August, Minister Mustapha has led a robust campaign to address the needs of farming communities, augment agriculture and drainage and irrigation services, and revamp programmes and policies to benefit the industries within his purview.
Minister Mustapha, while making the presentation, said Government will continue to support farmers in an effort to improve their production.

“As a Government, we will be working to improve the livelihood of the citizens of this country. If we are to take agriculture to the next level, we have to make resources available to support farmers and farming activities. The Minister indicated to the farmers in Region 10 that we have seen a renewed interest over the last few months in agriculture.
Hinting that because of his agriculture team and meeting with farmers, along with the Government’s input in the agriculture sector in terms of reducing the cost of production, in putting more investment, he also indicated the provision in the emergency budget has also been a boon to all farmers.

The agriculture sector is on the verge of taking off, and taking off in a big way. Yes, Guyana have all of the natural resources in the world, but agriculture is here to stay, we must develop the agriculture sector. The Government is also expected to provide incentives to farmer to ensure that this happens.
We are all aware of the major setback in the agri-sector under mismanagement by the previous APNU-AFC Government; however, credit must be given to the PPP/C Government of Guyana and the Minister of Agriculture in particular who have shown commitment and wisdom in making Guyana the bread basket of the Caribbean once more, as we look positively towards the future.

Sincerely,
David Adams