Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha yesterday commissioned the brand new $466 million pump station at Adventure, Corentyne, which it is estimated will assist with the drainage of 6,000 acres of land.
The pump station, comprising two 150 cubic feet per second pumps, is designed to drain 126,000 gallons per minute as such it will finally bring tremendous drainage relief to Black Bush Polder and other surrounding areas.
Speaking at the commissioning yesterday, Mustapha stated that it was an important day as the pump station was an investment for the future of Guyana. According to him, not only in Region Six but across Guyana, as by the end of next year the country will see the completion of 19 such projects. In Region Six, they are at Adventure, Black Bush Polder, Ankerville, and Letter Kenny while one will shortly be awarded in Chesney, Corentyne.
“When you add the investments that we are making in these projects it will be tremendous because as a government we recognise the importance of investment in the future of our country,” Mustapha said.
He added that two more canals, like the one built at Hope, East Coast Demerara, will be located in the Number 51 – Number 52 villages and Lancaster – Manchester, Corentyne areas, while an embankment with integrated internal drainage systems will lead the water directly to those canals. “We will have 24-hour drainage right on to the Atlantic Ocean,” he said.
Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority Board Lionel Wordsworth explained that in Region Six there is an active programme being implemented from Number 66 to clear canals. This project, he said, will include a flood embankment being built on the right bank of the Canje Creek. “We are creating a number of direct outlets to the Atlantic,” he noted. “So these areas being exposed to the mercy of the high levels of flood waters coming down the Canje, overtopping the banks and getting to these areas, will now be managed with a flood embankment in place.”
He added that “those projects along with this pump station together [are] going to complement the drainage.”
Wordsworth pointed out that at present there are 17 contractors working on different aspects of the project, while there is ongoing evaluation of tendered projects where contracts will be awarded for new outfall channels and bridges.
Touching on the pump station itself, he noted that the $446 million contract was awarded in October 2021 to Sawh Mechanical Workshop, while a consultancy contract of $26.4 million was put in place to supervise quality control and to ensure specifications were met and this was awarded to SRKN Engineering.
Noting that there were some delays, he said, “there isn’t any perfect situation, we were able to overcome those delays.” Wordsworth pointed out that about three months ago there was a test run which left them confident that the pump station was ready for commissioning.
Meanwhile, Mustapha also took the opportunity to point out that the agriculture budget before the PPP/C left office was $18.5 billion; then after five years under the APNU+AFC administration it was $13.5 billion, which he said spoke for itself as it showed which government has “the farmers interest at heart.”
In 2021, following the devastating floods, he said, funds had to be found immediately to distribute to the farmers so as to assist them to return to cultivation as quickly as possible, “because we as a government recognise the importance of this sector, the agriculture sector.”
As such, he stressed that over the last four years the government’s investment in agriculture has been noticeable. “The Ministry of Agriculture this year will be expending $97.6 billion to ensure that we make the investment in the farmers’ interest in our country,” he stated.
This, he stressed, tells the story of where the government’s priorities lie, adding that there are noticeable improvements and investments in all sectors.
“Today we are the envy of the world, not only the Caribbean and as I said with the investment that we are making, Guyana today is leading the charge in food security,” Mustapha stated
The minister said the pump station project stood as testimony to the government’s commitment to the development of not only the agriculture sector but the people of Region Six, especially those in Black Bush Polder.
“When I became minister I said we will build a pump station here to drain the Black Bush area,” he said.
Stressing that there is monumental progress in Guyana, Mustapha said that they are working to develop the agriculture sector in every single sphere; rice, sugar, fruits and vegetables, new crops, livestock, aquaculture, fishing, “and in all these areas we are seeing massive investments being made.”
Turning to rice, Mustapha added, “We have seen in the rice sector, every year, we are seeing increased projection, we are seeing increased yields although we are having challenges we are working very closely with the farmers.”
Regarding the paddy bug situation, Mustapha said that the Guyana Rice Development Board was instructed to assist farmers with the chemicals to fight against the paddy bug. “Only two days [ago] I received a report from the president of the RPA [Rice Producers Association] where he told me that those areas we have targeted we now have control but we have to continue to work with the farmers so that they can also spray their holdings so that we will not have a big infestation and damage when we have the harvesting season.”
Meanwhile, Mustapha pointed out that there will also be a new project coming on stream where the government will be procuring another 40 pumps to complement the drainage system countrywide.
