Over 2,000 Region Two cash and livestock farmers who were severely affected by the massive flooding in May will be receiving promised flood relief payouts from government on Tuesday.
Cheques will be given to each farmer in amounts based on the assessment conducted by extension officers within the region. Farmers will receive aid based on their scale of production whether commercial or kitchen garden.
Over 1291 farmers in the Lower and Upper Pomeroon River are intended to benefit, while on the coastland, 736 farmers will benefit, including 50 livestock and cattle farmers.
The farmers will be contacted by the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Association (GLDA) officers. Based on a flood relief schedule seen by Stabroek News, government ministers will be in the region to distribute the cheques to the farmers. The distribution will commence at 10 am simultaneously at different locations.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharmalall, Anand Persaud, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar and Minister of Tourism Oneidge Waldron will be assisting with the distribution at various locations.
Dharmalall and Persaud will be in the Upper and Lower Pomeroon, while Mustapha will be on the coastland at Charity and C V Nunes Primary and Minister Waldron will be at Suddie Primary School. The distribution venues in the Upper Pomeroon River will be at Jacklow Primary, Kabakaburi Mission, St Monica Mission, Karawab Mission and in the Lower Pomeroon, the distribution will occur at Martindale, Hackney, Wakapau mission, Akawini School Island, and Marlborough Primary.
President Irfaan Ali had recently announced a raft of measures to bring relief to flood-affected residents and farmers across the country who suffered losses as a result of devastating flooding caused by heavy rainfall in recent months. He had announced that homestead farmers would receive $100,000 each while kitchen farmers would receive $50,000 each. Households, excluding homestead and kitchen gardens, will receive $50,000 each.
As it relates to livestock subsistence farmers, small farmers, medium farmers, and large-scale farmers will benefit from more than $600 million in direct transfers.
Region Two had experienced severe flooding in late May, resulting in several acres of land being flooded. St Monica, Karawab, and Kabakaburi were said to be severely affected by floodwaters. The Charity Housing Scheme area was inundated by floodwaters as well. Over 5,000 food hampers were sent to the Pomeroon River to assist the residents. Those that were severely affected in St Monica, Karawab areas were relocated to another location as well until the water receded.
