Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud says the ministry has put measures in place to curb delinquent behaviour by extension officers, after several complaints of plant disease.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, at a farmers’ meeting at Timehri last Sunday Persaud said extension officers’ dereliction of duty has been a major concern. “We have to also deal with the reality of people telling you they work and then they don’t, but we have recently implemented a new system whereby, before an officer is paid, farmers will have to sign that they have indeed visited their farm,” he said.
Persaud said the ministry is committed to ensuring that farmers are not “getting short-changed.” He said government has taken steps countrywide to strengthen and build the capacity of extension services, which has led to the recent commissioning of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority and the restructuring of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), to incorporate research and extension. The new entity incorporates the functions of the crops and livestock department and will see the enhancement of the agriculture sector. NAREI’s new focus will be on modernising the approach to agriculture production and services.
The issue of market space for vendors at the Stabroek Market was also raised, and Persaud committed to meeting with Local Government and Regional Development Minister Kellawan Lall on the subject. Farmers also requested that the bridge across the Hauraruni River be rehabilitated as it aids their access to their farmlands. The facility does not fall under the aegis of the ministry; however, Persaud gave assurances that the matter would be addressed by the Works Ministry.
