After more than eight days of flooding in December that resulted in millions of dollars in losses, farmers and residents at Canal Number Two say they are yet to receive official word from the agriculture ministry about any compensation.
Previously, Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy had said that officers from the National Agricultural Research Institute were in the area to assess damage and affected farmers would be given compensation accordingly. He had also said that he would visit the area at the appropriate time.
However, Minister in the Agriculture Ministry, Ali Baksh told Stabroek News that farmers were given assistance in the form of fertilizers. “I was told that fertilizers were distributed in the area to the affected farmers and there are Field Officers in the area assessing and monitoring the situation,” he said.
Farmers have said that the flooding could have been prevented if regional authorities had honoured their obligations and had cleaned the drains and canals prior to the start of the rainy season. As such, they expect full compensation for the losses and damage suffered.
In response to a query, Dr Ramsammy said he hadn’t visited the area because he has been interacting with affected farmers in regions Two and Three. However, he noted that a technical team from his ministry is making assessments there, and he will further evaluate the situation when he visits next week. The minister said farmers will not be given monetary assistance but will be compensated for their losses with fertilizers and seeds so that they can restart cultivation.
The farmers of the area are irate because they believe that their requests should have been addressed in a timelier manner. They have said that they invested more than they could’ve afforded to and some of them depend solely on their farms for their livelihood.
