Dear Editor,
I am a rice farmer on the MMA/ADA project, and suffer heavy losses in an area where the Abary River is our main drainage channel. Owing to the losses I cannot even pay my D&I fees to the MMA/ADA. The irrigation canal has changed the course of the Abary River; it has an eight-door sluice which has a tail-end regulator at Belladrum, where the excess water of the canal is discharged.
On the southern section, we depend on the Abary River for our main drainage, but this river is a dead river; the President once said, he didn’t know how the Abary River could flood when rain is not falling, but the excess water of the low lands of the Mahaicony area escapes and floods the Abary River.
The Abary River is blocked by a seven-door sluice, designed by Mr Malcolm Ali, who said this sluice should be opened at regular intervals, but this has been neglected by the MMA/ADA, and it has caused the river to become a dead river. In the spring crop of 2011-12, our paddy burst in water, and when water is in the fields the rice grows tall with lots of ‘wind paddy.’ The condition of the field and dams was very bad; trucks could not go in, and we had to pay $350 per bag to reap plus $300 per bag for the trucks and grain cart. What we reaped, therefore, could hardly clear expenses.
The lands on the Essequibo Coast, and the Corentyne Coast are more fertile, but in some places the land on the MMA/ADA project can’t even yield 20 bags per acre. With so much heavy rain during the spring crop many fields did not dry, and with steady rain the land runs ‘cold‘ and paddy does not grow. The tractors then burn too much fuel when cultivating.
The MMA/ADA is a place of no reason; they should waive the D&I charges for farmers on the southern side of the project who suffered poor yields in the spring crop of 2011-12. This autumn crop hundreds of acres will have to be left uncultivated.
In order to understand the condition of the farmers the government should set up a commission of inquiry to look at their grievances.
Yours faithfully,
Bramdeow Singh
