– veterinary, other services to be made available in new week
With Kwakwani in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) being one of the communities most severely affected by the ongoing flood crisis, which has seen households as well as farmlands under water, the Ministry of Agriculture has reassured residents there that Government is conducting initial assessments with the aim of providing assistance to affected persons, so that they can return to their livelihoods once the water recedes.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha interacting with Kwakwani residents during the outreach on Friday
This commitment was made by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who was in a ministerial delegation that met with affected residents of Kwakwani as part of Government’s ongoing flood-assessment exercise.
During that meeting, several farmers engaged Minister Mustapha as they sought assistance to resume their farming activities once the floodwaters have receded.
Kwakwani resident Juanita Thorn suggested that officers from the Ministry should move ahead with conducting flood assessments. This, she said, would let people know that the Government is concerned with their livelihoods.
“Before the flood goes down, if we could have the relevant leaders in the community make a list of all the persons who were affected, whether you are doing cattle rearing or farming. So, by the time the water starts going down, you know what you’re working at.
“At least you spoke to the people, so that they know you’re paying attention to them and showing interest in their livelihood,” Ms. Thorn said.
Farmer Wade Russell called for assistance to be given to farmers in order to secure their remaining cultivations.
“No one knows when this water is going to go down. What is going to happen if all the plants are lost? We are asking for persons to be allocated higher lands to secure their crops right now, because it is needed.
“Extension officers should be deployed to verify what people have. With that information, your Ministry would be able to render the kind of assistance needed,” Russell said.
Responding, the Agriculture Minister told the concerned farmers that an assessment is ongoing, and that a team from the Ministry would return to the village in the new week to give additional assistance to affected farmers.
“…We have to ensure we preserve and develop our agriculture sector. Those persons who suffered losses in terms of crops, as well as those who need help to move their livestock to higher ground, or veterinary services, those services will be extended immediately. I’ve already instructed that a team from NAREI (National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute) and the GLDA (Guyana Livestock Development Authority) visit the area on Monday and carry out an assessment, and offer veterinary services,” he assured.
However, Mustapha explained that a detailed assessment cannot be done now, since the water level is too high. He promised that a comprehensive assessment would be done when the floodwaters recede.
Nevertheless, Mustapha noted that if persons need planting materials to plant on higher grounds, those would be made available.
While Kwakwani is known for its logging activities, one resident, Jimmy Reece, has appealed to the Government to furnish the community with the necessary machinery to enable the community to expand into large-scale agriculture.
“For years we’ve been doing agriculture on a subsistence basis. We’ve never done it on a commercial basis. There are a few folks who do agriculture on a large scale, because most of the population is involved in logging. When the flood is gone, I’d like the Government to help the community with machinery to do big-time farming. A COVID Relief Fund was given to the village, and I submitted a proposal for them to use part of the money to purchase equipment to assist with developing agriculture,” Mr. Reece said.
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, who was also part of the visiting team, pointed out that while the COVID Relief Fund was given to the Village Council, the money would be used to undertake only projects that are suggested and approved by the entire village, and not by an individual. He urged the residents to engage the Council.
“Once they buy into the proposal, it becomes the village’s proposal,” Minister Edghill stressed.
Meanwhile, Minister Mustapha told residents that with Kwakwani being one of the hardest-hit communities by the ongoing floods, a lot of work would have to be done to restore the community, once floodwaters have receded. To this end, he said Government would make the necessary resources available so that farmers could return to the land.
He also committed to addressing issues with staffing in the village, after residents raised concerns about the village’s agriculture sub-department being short-staffed.
The team from the Agriculture Ministry would be returning to Kwakwani on Monday to conduct further flood assessments, and veterinary services and feed would also be provided free of cost to livestock farmers who were affected by the floods.
Minister Mustapha also committed the GLDA to providing transportation services to assist with moving animals to higher grounds.
Moreover, officials from Barama have donated 140 hampers comprising of protein-rich items and sanitary supplies to affected members of the three logging associations in Kwakwani.
Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, also formed part of the Ministerial Team that visited the area.
