Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Thursday told Upper Corentyne cattle and rice farmers that the materials for the construction of a fence for cattle grazing within the Number 52 to Number 74 Corentyne area are currently being procured.
The proposal to build a fence was presented to a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture earlier this month after rice and cattle farmers clashed over an order from the 52-74 Water Users Association giving permission for animals to be impounded when found in rice cultivations.
“We have had some issue with cattle and rice in this area and to get a compromise I sent a team from the Ministry of Agriculture with the region and they had some proposal which I endorsed and I think that shortly we might have less conflict between cattle farmers and rice farmers because what we will be doing we will be erecting back a fence,” the minister noted on Thursday.
According to Mustapha, the fence which is expected to run for almost 6 kilometres will cost an estimated $10 million. “We are in the procurement stage now to procure the posts and the wires and by next week hopefully we should get those materials and we will build that fence.”
The minister emphasised that while the fence will not resolve all the issues, “it will help to resolve some problems”. This statement was met with a round of applause from the farmers gathered.
He told the gathering that the decision to go ahead with the fence was also to demonstrate that the ministry is working to ensure that all farmers are represented and benefiting from its efforts. “While we want to improve agriculture production in this country, we have to take in all the sectors that falls under agriculture, so rice, other crops, livestock, all we are putting efforts to ensure that we put resources so that we can have maximum production,” the minister assured.
Frustrated rice farmers at the previous meeting with the technical team from the ministry had argued that cattle farmers were allowing their animals to damage their rice and contended that the situation requires a long-term solution.
Cattle farmers, meanwhile, had alleged that rice farmers have been poisoning their animals. Several female cattle farmers who were present had alleged that poisoned fruits are set on the ground for their animals.
The argument at that meeting became quite heated and led to one obviously frustrated rice farmer shouting, “Well take the rice industry and give it to the cattle farmers.”
However, one farmer recalled that the late former Minister of Agriculture, Satyadeow Sawh, had purchased 200 rolls of wire and 5,000 poles and fenced an area but after there was a flood in the area several years ago, the NDIA had damaged the fence to carry out drainage works.
The rice farmers had all agreed that it was now time for the area to be fenced again. However, one young farmer who was present had advised that NDIA clear the canal at the location and place the stuff removed on the ground then build the fence which will be a stronger and higher structure.
According to the young farmer, if that is done then even if NDIA has to return to the area to carry out drainage works the fence would not be affected.
Additionally, he had also suggested that they should advertise the project to persons within the area before constructing the fence so that persons who are in the area can build their own access gates.
After the proposal of fencing was made to team, it was taken back to Mustapha who endorsed the project on Thursday at the meeting held in Number 63 Village, Corentyne.
