The Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday met with farmers of Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara on issues relating to crop cultivation, animal rearing and drainage and irrigation.

A release from the ministry said this was done in keeping with Government’s initiative to diversify and expand agriculture on a commercial basis.

The meeting which was held in the community was attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud and managerial and technical staff of the Ministry.

The release said that in light of the farmers in Mocha Arcadia producing crops on a small scale the Ministry will provide investment support to enable expansion for commercial sale. However, this will be done  after the creation of groups to enable better collaboration, create competitive advantage and transparency.

A Needs Assessment Workshop will be conducted in the area on January 23 to ascertain the crops, livestock and technical support required by the community.

Also discussed was the management of cattle to address the issue of wandering animals on the roadways. Dr. Dwight Waldron, Director of the National Dairy Development Pro-gramme indicated that the pasture available cannot accommodate the approximately 300 cattle in the area. The release said as such the Ministry will implement a zero grazing system, whereby farmers will cut grass from the pasture and feed it to their cattle.

The release further stated that after discussions with the residents the Ministry decided that there is a need to modify the layout of the drainage system. The Minister noted that the opportune time will be when GuySuCo retires the land for a one-year period, during which a pilot project can be conducted.