Farmers must recognise importance of each sector, act unselfishly – Agri Minister

Farmers must ensure that they recognise the important contributions that each sector plays in the overall agriculture industry in Guyana, and they must act unselfishly.
This is according to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, whose comments came as he met with farmers from different sectors on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) recently.

During his engagements with them, farmers at Crabwood Creek and at Black Bush Polder apprised him of the challenges they face.
The dumping of garbage into the waterways and the need for an all-weather road to the landfill site at Crabwood Creek were some of the issues raised by farmers during their meeting with the Minister.
Some cash crop farmers said that when rice farmers spray their crops with chemicals, some get into the water and negatively impact their cultivation.
Besides the Crabwood Creek farmers, the Agriculture Minister also met with farmers from the four Polders at Black Bush Polder: Yakusari, Johanna, Mibicuri and Lesbeholden. A major concern of those farmers was the lack of adequate drainage and irrigation infrastructure.
According to Minister Mustapha, issues affecting Corentyne farmers are not unique to the Corentyne.
“All these times, when I come here and listen to concerns and issues, it is the same thing. Went to Canal Polder two days ago, it is the same issue. One would think that you all had a meeting to coordinate issues. It is the same type of issue, because our infrastructure was neglected between 2015 to 2020,” he lamented. “We will have to ensure that we prioritise the work that has to be done; we can’t do everything at one time. That is why we are coming to consult with you all.
“I will ask that NDIA [National Drainage and Irrigation Authority] come back in the area, look at the drainage canals, and we will make machines available through a programme in Crabwood Creek to desilt all the canals,” the Minister said. Similar commitments were made when he met with farmers in the Black Bush Polder.
Mustapha noted that, in many instances, when machines are sent to communities, those in authority utilise the equipment for personal projects.

“It can’t happen like that, Comrades,” he said, while noting that millions of dollars are being given to the various Water Users Associations to undertake drainage and irrigation work in farming communities.
“We are giving the Water Users Association money because farmers are not paying their rent, and according to the Water Users Act, farmers have to pay a rent to use the water, but they are not paying it, and we, the Government, (are) making the funds available.”
Further, he pointed out that the entire Polder would be outfitted with pumps to aid in producing a more efficient drainage system. He said farmers ought not to act in a selfish way, and they ought to ensure they recognise the important contributions each sector plays in the overall agriculture industry in Guyana.
“We can’t only think about ourselves and be selfish. Agriculture is not only rice or cash crops; it has different sectors. We have the livestock sector, we have the rice farmers and we have the cash crop farmers. All these sectors fall under the Ministry of Agriculture, and we have to ensure that we give service to every single sector,” he pointed out. (G4)