Dear Editor,

I wish to respond to a letter in the Kaieteur News dated March 31, 2010 penned by Rohit Parmanand entitled ‘An open letter to the Minister of Agriculture’ where some glaring inaccuracies are evident which can mislead the public.

Let me begin by answering some of the questions posed with regard to El Nino.

Recognizing imminence of El Nino conditions the Government of Guyana moved towards the establishment of a national task force inclusive of all relevant agencies to deal with irrigation issues across the country. From its inception in early August, 2009 the efforts of this task force were spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), and coming out of this initiative, communities have benefited significantly from successful interventions and support to reduce the risk associated with drought conditions.

A tremendous amount of work has been carried out by the Ministry’s NDIA, for which farmers have given their praises. Let me outline a few of those timely and necessary interventions that have impacted positively and brought much needed relief to farmers. If Mr Parmanand had been following the work of the Ministry of Agriculture he would have better appreciated what was being done to mitigate these conditions which have now cost government in excess of $500M.

In Region Two, some 20,000 acres of agricultural lands were provided with irrigation when four tubes were installed which tapped water from Lima Sands swamps. Some $3M has been provided by the NDIA, through its Water Users Associations (WUA) to operate the irrigation pumps at Dawa and to support farmers who were pumping water. Some $146M has been expended in the region to excavate critical irrigation canals.

In Region Three, a number of irrigation canals were excavated, and to meet irrigation needs of farmers, two pumps are operational at Waramina to pump water from the Bonasika Creek into the Boerasirie Conservancy. Just recently, a stop-off was completed at Two Mouth, Boerasirie Conservancy, and two pumps have been installed to create higher water level to flow downstream so that farmers could benefit. Two miles of internal channels have been excavated in the conservancy to access water from holding swamps, while 33 holding ponds have also been excavated in Leguan to provide water for cattle.

In Region Four, because of the low level of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) and to sustain the integrity of the dams, a decision was taken to pump water from the Mahaica River into the conservancy. Water is also being provided to the East Demerara sugar estates in order to ensure sustainability of the crop. Necessary excavation works have been carried out around the region.

In Region Five, the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) which has responsibility for drainage and irrigation in this region has been working with affected farmers. Some $15M was expended on the digging of an irrigation canal which would aid in sourcing fresh water from upstream of the Mahaica River which would be beneficial to farmers. A four-mile long canal was also excavated to provide water for cattle.

In Region Six, a number of irrigation pumps at key areas such as Sandaka, Manarbisi and Black Bush Polder have been in continuous operation while two pumps are used to re-circulate and supplement irrigation water by pumping upstream of the Corentyne River. These pumps have provided irrigation to farmers.

Government has also allocated some $49M which will target interior locations since there is much concern with regard to the availability of water in those communities. The Ministry of Agriculture’s new Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC) and the National Agricultural Re-search Institute (NARI) have been tasked with this responsibility. A special committee was established to look at the hinterland El Nino situation and to discuss and implement measures to ensure relief and appropriate adaptation to current weather conditions. The committee includes the Ministries of Agriculture and Amerindian Affairs in collaboration with the Beacon Foundation and the North Rupununi District Develop-ment Board.

With regard to the Montrose drainage reserve, the Ministry of Agriculture’s NDIA wrote to the developer on May 24, 2007, stopping him from further developing the said reserve. However, by way of letter dated June 14, 2007 from the developer’s lawyers, the Authority was informed and subsequent checks revealed that the developer had gained prescriptive title to the land by way of transport No. 439/2006 and as such he was allowed to continue. However, it should be noted that the NDIA has made efforts to acquire the land and was successfully able to acquire a section of this reserve to carry out much needed drainage works which would benefit the Montrose community.

On the issue of projects being carried out by the ministry’s NDIA and Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU), a request has been made to the Auditor General to monitor those projects to enhance accountability and value for money.

It seems that the letter writer (real/otherwise) is not interested in getting questions answered since his writing is political or personal.

Yours faithfully,
Omadatt Chandan
Corporate Secretary
NDIA