Thousands of acres of rice in Black Bush Polder damaged

Lack of water

Thousands of acres of rice in the Black Bush Polder, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have been damaged resulting in millions of dollars in losses as a result of a lack of irrigation water.

Some 22,000 acres of rice depends on the main canal in the front lands for water but that canal has dried up.
Rice land in the backlands of the Black Bush Polder is being irrigated but those in front are in jeopardy. Between Eversham and Adventure, there are 22,000 acres of rice under cultivation.
Farmers have been trying to pump water using their tractors but after hours of pumping, there has been no water coming.
Some farmers started cultivating in November 2019 and others in December 2019; however, many of the fields are still to receive water and huge cracks are opening, hence the rice is dying because of lack of water.
Zahir Muhammad, who has rice fields at Friendship, said he planted 50 days ago and the rice started promising but a lack of water has caused trouble for him.

He explained that at this stage, the rice should have been in several inches of water but there is no water.
“If we get water now, we should still be able to save some of the rice,” he told this publication.
Several thousand acres of rice depends on the main canal for water, and if the water is not supplied urgently, those too will die.
Farmers have been trying to pump water tractors but after hours of pumping, there is no water coming and by the end of the day, they have to pack up since it was another unsuccessful day.
Another rice farmer, Steven Bissoondial, who cultivates 120 acres at Adventure, told this publication that he has been waiting for water for more than two months.
He is, however, still being optimistic, saying that if the water comes, he will still be able to save some of his crop.
Bissoondial told this publication that so far, he has invested more than $4 million for this crop.
“I am just trying to get back some of the expenses right now. I just hope I can get back something. But we are not getting any water.”
Since November 2019, the 52-74 Water Users Association and the Black Bush Polder Water Users Association issued appeals to the Regional Administration for the pumps at Manarabisi and Black Bush Polder to be fully operational.
Regional Chairman David Armogan had said back in November that he was trying to assist the farmers and had spoken with Regional Executive Officer Kim Williams-Stevens who was reluctant to have all five pumps in the Black Bush Polder area operational and all two at Manarabisi working, stating that enough fuel was not available. This decision this move has proved to be detrimental to the farmers.”
He added that many of the rice farmers are now waiting and hoping that Government recognises that rice farmers play a significant role in Guyana’s economy. (Andrew Carmichael)