Rupununi farmers suffer heavy losses as flooding persist in several areas

Several farmers from the Rupununi area, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) have suffered heavy losses as the rainy season continues.
This was revealed by Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock during a recent interview with Guyana Times on Friday. Allicock explained that farmers had already suffered major losses due to a prolonged dry season which destroyed most of the crops.
These farmers, he noted, were in the process of replanting when the rainy season stepped in, and again, their crops were destroyed.
“We are trying to bring in food aid for the farmers, because they lost everything during the dry season and now that they have planted back, the water come and carry most of it away.”
On this point, Allicock highlighted that the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has deployed a team that is currently in the region assessing the situation.

Moreover, he highlighted that as heavy downpours continue in the region, several trails are currently submerged, halting the movement of traffic in the area.
“The rain is falling every day and sometimes two hours in a stretch we get very heavy downpours, but only certain areas are being flooded. It comes (the rain) to wash away the road and go; that’s how the weather is operating,” he stated.
The Perimico Junction in Yakarinta was completely submerged thus halting traffic.
The Regional Chairman stated that the effects of the washed-out roads and trails of the most important thoroughfares in the region have resulted in an inflation crisis.
“The cost of basic items has gone up, because getting goods into the area is a hassle,” he stated.
He noted that the region was working with other stakeholders to bring some relief to the farmers who daily are crying out for assistance.
Back in June, the water level had forced residents to move to higher ground. Some of the areas that were mostly affected were Potarinau, South Central Rupununi, Aishalton, Parishara and Nappi Village.
In addition to these villages, several bridges and roads were not accessible to vehicular traffic. One such bridge was the Iwokrama Reserve, approximately 15 minutes away from the Kurupukari Crossing. In addition, the Pirara to Lethem Road was completely washed away, leaving scores of passengers stranded on both sides.