Essequibo Coast rice farmers who were affected by flooding earlier this month have begun to replant their lands, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt told Stabroek News yesterday.
“I can report that there is no flooding in the region at the moment. The waters have receded off the rice cultivating lands and residential lands,” Ramdatt related.
In a telephone interview, the regional official explained that the farmers who suffered losses as a result of the flooding have begun to scatter seeds for a new crop. He said that several farmers suffered losses due to some lands being inundated for days.
Stabroek News had reported that some 30 per cent of the rice planted in flooded areas was lost.
The communities of Devonshire Castle and Hampton Court reportedly suffered tremendously due to poor drainage. This was as a result of the construction of a pump station in the area which had resulted in the main drainage canals being blocked.
Ramdatt had called on the Ministry of Agriculture to assist the region but he said he is yet to hear from the ministry on how they plan to do so.
