At a briefing held at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) boardroom yesterday on Regent Road, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud stated that among measures undertaken by the authorities to assist farmers during the dry weather spell, was a 4.2 mile-long canal, which is being used to provide fresh water to the agriculture lands in the area. This was successfully completed at midnight on Wednesday.
He stated that the canal links a creek to the Perth-Baiboo irrigation canal in the area, a critical measure as there was need for urgent intervention to save the rice lands there.
Minister Persaud stated that some 8,000 acres of rice lands along the Coastland remain vulnerable to the present weather conditions, noting that the livestock industry also, “is going through some tough conditions”. On this note, Persaud stated that the MoA has outlined several measures which are being undertaken to assist the livestock farmers.
He said that the MoA has conducted some 130 outreach activities to date, which according to him have resulted in the minimizing of the impact of El Nino.
Persaud stated that efforts to make available water to farming areas along the coastland continue to be a priority, with measures being implemented in all the administrative regions including the Hinterland.
Persaud said that teams have been visiting areas in all the regions, noting that he is expected to travel to Region One soon to assess the impact of the weather phenomenon in that region.
The Minister noted that water continues to be pumped into the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) while water is also being pumped from the holding area into farmlands and other areas, including the Lamaha Conservancy.
Minister Persaud also noted that the authorities are working feverishly towards maintaining the supply of rice and other produce to the local and external markets.
