As part of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) outreach programme to communities across the regions, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Friday visited the communities of Orealla/Siparuta along the Corentyne River in Region Six where he handed over items to the villagers to further boost their production.
Farmers from both communities benefited from inputs such as water tanks, seeds, chemicals, and planting materials such as seedlings, and plantain and pineapple suckers, a release from the MoA said.
In his remarks to farmers and resident, the minister emphasised that the government has worked “aggressively” to improve the overall wellbeing of persons residing in hinterland and riverine communities.
Several farmers however, while expressing appreciation for the government’s investment in the agricultural sector within their community, complained that access to water has become a challenge as a result of the extended dry season.
In response, Mustapha disclosed that the ministry is currently working on several projects to relieve these issues in both the long and short term, and that a canal is currently being dug to assist with providing irrigation to the cultivation areas.
“The main issue in this community is water, so we have to work to get the water system going. There are some projects that we are working on for both long and short term. For the short term, we will complete the canal. The machine that was sent to do the work will also be stationed here in Orealla/Siparuta permanently moving forward.
He also mentioned that the government planned to make shade houses available as part of a programme to target the youths. “As it relates to the shade houses, we have to look at areas that can be sustained. We’ll make twelve shade houses available. With this programme, we want all of the young people in the community to be a part of this. It will be a part of the President’s AIEP programme. NAREI will work with you to decide what to plant so that those young people can earn from that. We have a ready market for hot peppers. So, if you plant that, there is a ready market for that all year round. We can also explore the cultivation for high-value crops,”
He also acknowledged that many farmers had suffered losses with cassava cultivation and that the ministry through the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) will supply a quantity of cassava to residents in the coming week.
“For cassava, which is the staple crop in your community, I know a number of persons lost their crop. So, through NAREI, we’ll purchase 20 tons of cassava for the villages. We had a similar programme for Regions Nine, One, and to a lesser extent in Region Eight. This will be done within a week from now,” he said.
Mustapha also disclosed that households in Orealla and Siparuta will each receive 20 Black Giant chicks to boost poultry production, and that the ministry through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation will work to find markets for their produce.
According to the release, in addition to the aforementioned items handed over, two solar-powered freezers will also be given to the villages to assist with improving storage for villagers’ catches. Also, two young villagers will be awarded scholarships to study at the Guyana School of Agriculture, after which they will be hired by the ministry as extension officers for the communities.
