Mohammed Rasheed returned to Guyana two years ago excited by the prospects of the Grow More Food campaign. On Tuesday, as he pumped water out of his flooded fields, battling to save the crops, he lamented that promises made have not kept.
“Every time I follow up, they dragging, dragging (their feet),” the veteran farmer said. Rasheed is one of the several farmers at Spillweir, Canal Number Two, West Bank Demerara, who were flooded by heavy rains over the past few days.
Water as high as four feet in some areas has submerged crops, including cabbages, peppers and pineapples, among many others. Some of the crops have already been written off while the farmers battle to save others but with little hope.
“Only God can save this crop,” Rasheed declared. From 5am on Tuesday, he utilised a tractor-powered pump to drain water out of his fields after a dam burst. Poor drainage in the area coupled with continuing rainfall has made this task extremely difficult. “They know the root of the problem, but dem is like the police, they only coming when everything done,” Rasheed said.
He and other farmers explained that there is no clear route for the main Spillweir canal to the outlets into the Demerara River. A culvert on the canal that leads to the main Canal Number Two restricts water flow, so when the water level in the Spillweir Canal rises, it takes a long time to go down, consequently contributing to flooding in the low-lying fields. The Ministry of Agriculture has promised to construct an opening to a GuySuCo canal but months later, this is an unfulfilled promise, the farmers said.
Major drainage problems were not something Rasheed expected to endure again, at least not for very long periods.
He had left Guyana because his farm was constantly being flooded. He moved to the islands to work before finally settling in Barbados, where he farmed for five years. When he heard about the launching of the Grow More Food campaign, he saw hope. “I was influenced by the Ministry, ‘go on your land, we gon help,’” he recalled.
Rasheed contacted Ministry officials here and after being assured of their support, returned home. “All the money we earn overseas, we bring it and invest here,” he said. He leased 35 acres of land, hired an excavator to empolder 10 acres and began his farming, rearing crops and, on a smaller scale, livestock. He purchased a tractor, pump, truck and other equipment, convinced that his dream was going to be fulfilled.
Rasheed became Chair-man of the Spillweir Farmers Group and they were persuaded to join the Guyana Agricultural Producers Association (GAPA). But to date, they have seen no assistance from the organisation, he said. “I hear millions spend in agriculture; I ain’t know who getting this money,” he said.
He recalled that the after many calls on Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, an excavator was sent to de-silt the Spillweir canal but it was called away several times. Another farmer, Germaine David said that the work was two-thirds complete but the excavator never returned and no explanations were given. David said that the section not cleared included where his farm is located. His farm, with pineapples and several other cash crops, was under water and he had already suffered losses.
However, David was hoping that the water would recede and at least some of his crops would be saved.
Rasheed recalled meeting with Director of the National Agricultural Research And Extension Institute Dr. Oudho Homenauth in mid-January and upon inquiring about the de-silting of the canal and a clear route for its drainage, Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority Lionel Wordsworth was contacted and he said that a tender was out and works would have started in two weeks time. Since that time, they have heard nothing, Rasheed said.
Rasheed said that 20,000 cabbages, 2,000 cauliflower plants, 2,000 papaw trees and 1,000 tomato plants were among the crops under water in his field. Several of the laden papaw trees fell due to the soggy earth. Rasheed said that he did not cultivate the rest of his land due to the drainage problem. Several farmers have moved out due to the same problem, he noted. Jai Singh, another farmer also lamented that some of his crops were under water.
The farmers said that promises have been made but not kept. They said that they saw the Grow More Food campaign as a good initiative and in response invested large sums of money but they have not received the support promised and expected. “As soon as rain fall, it flood you up,” David said.
The farmers are calling on the authorities to fulfil their promises of fixing the drainage problem, while noting that they supply large amounts of produce to the local market. “I been here (before), I know what was the problem, I din expect it again, I expect more support from the government,” Rasheed said.
