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Canal farmers count $M losses
– Pineapples, cash crop, cattle lost
By Rabindra Rooplall
Farmers in Canal Number Two, West Coast Demerara (WCD) are up in arms after
Large scale pine farmers show the depth of the flood water
incurring losses of millions of dollars in perishables to the recent floods.
Heavy rainfall has been experienced over the past 48 hours and has continued in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.
The Hydrometerological Office has advised that during the next 24 hours current conditions will be sustained with light to moderate intermittent rainfall. Occasional heavy downpours are likely during the period as well. Rainfall quantities are likely to exceed 75mm in the next 24 hours ending 8.00 hrs today. According to one of the many farmers of Lot, 3, Canal Number Two Polder, Chanderpaul Bharat, he has been planting pines for the past 15-years, and before he was a cash crop farmer.
He explained that after planting five acres of pineapples and waiting the usual 18 months for his production to become ripe for the market, it is disappointing to have approximately $6M in losses as his farm was swamped with water for several days. The flood damaged the pineapples along with other perishable cash crops.
During a tour of the farm, Bharat said, “About 35,000 pineapples were damaged from the floods. Nobody ain’t come yet to see what going on. All these pineapples under water and nobody don’t know the pressure we are facing.”
Adding that some pineapples fetch almost $400 each, Bharat said. “If I sell a pineapple wholesale for $200 and I have almost 35,000 pineapples out of five acres being damaged by flooding. The government has not provided a pump in the area for farmers. How can we actually survive?”
He said that many famers in Canal plant pineapples and cash crops and when the land is flooded the earth becomes soft, compressed and soggy making it very difficult for the roots of plants to spread, and as such the plant is stifled and stunted.
“If anybody doesn’t believe, they can come at me and check it. I will walk them through and show them what I am talking about….My neigbour has a cornfield and the entire crop was destroyed. When we solely have to depend on our farming and we experience this type
Farmer Chanderpaul Bharat displays some of the items that were destroyed.
of loss is dead you dead…all my drains are cleaned and dug properly and yet the water is going down very slowly.”
Adding that there are almost 70 bridges in Canal Number Two, Bharat said that only 10 such bridges are accessible to trucks that transport perishables.
“Government had promised to build proper bridges for us but nothing has been done up to now.”
Bharat showed this newspaper a truck load of cash crops and other perishables that were also damaged because of the flooding. The truck contained pumpkins, eschallot, yams, sweet potatoes, oranges, corilla, and other cash crops.
Another farmer of Canal Number Two, Nankishore Chandrawattie, said that he planted cucumber, papaya, pineapple and other crops and had a devastating experience with the constant rainfall which submerged all his produce.
“My animals are punishing and all those acres of plant get damage. What am I to do now?” Chandrawattie questioned.
Jewan Roopnarine who is also a pineapple and cash crop farmer said that all his hard work will be washed away with the floods.
Additionally Ravindranauth Bhola who is also a farmer said that Ministry of Agriculture officials visited the area yesterday and “didn’t even go to the farmers’ homes, and by the time people try to meet with them they already gone!”
One livestock and cash crop farmer, Nandkrishna Persaud, said that last December he lost 12 sheep due to the rains, and recently there were additional losses of various crops and vegetables which were hard hitting to his family.
Residents in the area related that poultry farmers were also severely affected. “If you look in the Canals you could see one and two duck and fowl floating; it real bad yea!”
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