The Region Three administration has pledged to provide assistance to Santa/Aratak Mission to kick-start aquaculture and poultry rearing as their traditional livelihood of logging is no longer feasible.
According to a press release from the region, this decision was taken to help the community find an alternate source of income after Toshao Reynolds Samuels said it could no longer rely on logging as its main source of income.
Samuels said there is a 100-acre plot of land in the savannahs, part of which – 10 acres – can be put to use for economic purposes and suggested that cultivation of Red Beans and Black Eye peas may be useful options. The meeting heard that residents were especially interested in rearing tilapia and poultry as they were confident that these options will accrue the most gains.
In response, Regional Vice Chairman Azzam Mohamed pledged the administration’s support to develop the projects; however, he cautioned them that they would need to cooperate and pledge their full commitment to the project.
Regarding health care, Regional Health Officer Dr Ravindra Persaud reported that quarterly supplies of drugs and monthly visits by a medical team have been successful to date. He also said that maintenance works will be done to rectify a water shortage at the health centre and that the floor of the unit will be tiled.
District Education Officer Penelope McIntosh reported that the solar panel attached to the primary school is out of order and assured the meeting that the situation will soon be rectified. She also noted that there is poor school attendance and punctuality because of the long distances children have to travel by boat. Deputy REO Ameena Hinds also attended the meeting, the release said.
