1460 Pomeroon farmers, households get $110M flood relief grants

Government on Friday delivered $110 million in flood relief to farmers of Pomeroon, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), to cushion their losses and provide resources for them to reinvest into the lands.
Hundreds of farmers were affected by the prolonged rainfall season a few months ago, resulting in mass flooding. Now, Government is continuing its relief efforts in several regions. In the Pomeroon region, over 1460 farmers and households were eligible for assistance.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha spearheaded the flood relief initiative at the Siriki Primary School, Upper Pomeroon. Residents were assured of continued assistance to those who were affected and by the end of the exercise, $9,050,000 was distributed to farmers and households in several communities.
Over at the Kabakaburi Primary School, Upper Pomeroon, stakeholders were assured that in addition to the flood relief grant, farmers will also benefit from planting material and other forms of assistance to return to the land soon.
The team also took this programme to the St Monica Community Centre, Upper Pomeroon, and farmers who were not included in the first phase of the exercise will be assisted when officials return to the area within the next two weeks to continue the distribution process.
While receiving their grants, farmers recounted their experiences during the flood and thanked the Government for stepping in to offer much-needed assistance. James Smith, a farmer from Siriki village said he was grateful for the assistance after losing most of what he had planted prior to the floods.
“When the rainfall come, my dam was below the water. I had 600 pear trees planted. After the flood, I only had 21 left. I am thankful for this relief that I am getting today. I want to thank the President and the entire Government for this and for what they are doing in the country,” Smith underscored.
Thomas Charles, a farmer who resides in Kabakaburi, said in addition to the relief, farmers would also need planting material and other inputs to quickly return to the land.

“I am happy about this grant. It will help me out a lot. In addition to this, I would like to know if the Ministry through NAREI can assist us with some seeds, fertiliser, and things like that,” the farmer said.
While responding to farmers, Minister Mustapha said the Government made a commitment and was there to fulfil that commitment. He also said that every farmer who was affected will receive assistance from the Government.
“We are here today to deliver. We made a lot of promises when we campaigned for the 2020 General Elections and when you look back at those commitments, most of those promises or commitments have already been fulfilled.
“We are not hiding from the promises that we made. Today we are here to distribute the flood relief grants to affected farmers and households. I want to assure you; every farming household that was affected will be given assistance to return to the land. Not so long ago when areas were underwater, I accompanied His Excellency, President Dr Irfaan Ali to those areas and he said when the flood water receded, we’d try as much as possible to help the farmers to get back to the land as quickly as possible. That is our objective with this grant,” Minister Mustapha said.
In addition to the distribution, Minister Mustapha invited villagers to use the opportunity to make requests as the Government is currently preparing for Budget 2022.
Villagers made requests for additional block drainage, kokers, solar systems, internet service, land titles, and tanks for storing water during the dry period. Minister Mustapha told residents that his Ministry will work with their regional and village officials to have more block drainage and kokers set up in the villages. He also told villagers that he will forward those requests that were made but are not the direct responsibility of his Ministry to the relevant Cabinet Ministers.
Meanwhile, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton spearheaded the distribution in the Lower Pomeroon River, through Marlborough, Liberty, Hackney, Dredge Creek and Jacklow. He was accompanied by Chairman of Region Two Vilma DaSilva. (G12)