Agriculture Ministry focusing on developing Local Authority communities

– as Minister hands over 4 mini-excavators to 4 NDCs

The Ministry of Agriculture is not only focusing on the development and expansion of agricultural areas but also the well-being of all citizens.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, made this disclosure on Saturday as he handed over four mini-excavators to four Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).
The Ministry, Mustapha said, is also attending to the wellbeing of communities.
Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Madanlall Ramraj, speaking at the handing-over ceremony at the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary (MMA) Onverwagt Compound, noted that the Ministry has adopted a new approach, focusing on community engagement and improving residents’ lives
“Who would have thought that out of agriculture we would have been looking at homestead and residential areas where people are living in order to better their conditions? This is all about Improving people’s livelihood,” the Director General said.
Meanwhile, the Bath-Woodly Park, Blairmont-Guilderland, Union-Naartighid and Rosignol-Zee Lust NDCs will be responsible for the work schedule of the machines, while the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will be responsible for providing fuel and paying the operators.

Mustapha, speaking at Saturday’s handing over ceremony, explained that the four NDCs were the last in that region to receive such equipment.
“Whether it is rain or sun, when you have the dry weather the Ministry of Agriculture through the NDIA plays an important role and in this region through the MMA (Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary). So when there is no water, we have to get water for irrigation and when there is a lot of water we have to get proper drainage. Right now we are trying to create a comprehensive drainage system for the country,” the Minister disclosed.
He said the drainage system needs to be modernised. Making mention of a new pump which was recently installed at Trafalgar, in Region Five, Mustapha said infrastructural development in drainage and irrigation in Region Five is being replicated across the country.
“One of the problems over the years has been drainage and in the agriculture area, irrigation; so drainage and irrigation and in the housing area drainage. We have to ensure that we put a system in place and modernise it, make it work so that we can alienate the problem that people have been suffering from over the years.”
The four machines Mustapha emphasised must be of benefit to the communities in which they are given to.
“Your Region is the first region that all ten NDCs will have a piece of machinery like this to de-silt internal drains. You have ten NDCs in this Region and with this four the region now has ten mini-machines to do work. So, we have completed Region Five. We are working in Region Four to do the East Coast and East Bank and also in Region Six. So, before the end of the year all of the Local Government bodies across the country will have a piece of machinery,” the Agriculture Ministry explained.