Close to 90 percent of Nation’s crops, livestock destroyed by floods-Agri. Minister

Jul 03, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – An ongoing flood assessment has so far revealed that a significant amount of crops and livestock from areas that have experienced severe flooding over the past two months has been destroyed. This was disclosed by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, during an interview with Brazil’s AgroMais News.
The Minister said, “Over the last two months, we’ve experienced unprecedented rainfall which has resulted in flooding in all 10 Administrative Regions of Guyana. Between May 24 and June 10, we’ve seen close to 20 inches of rainfall. This is the highest amount of rainfall we’ve seen since 1981. This has resulted in Guyana’s southern basin between the upper Essequibo and Corentyne Rivers being filled and overflowing.”
He added, “Many areas in the Hinterland were also and still are flooded. Compounding that, with the heavy rainfall, we’ve seen higher than normal water levels in the rivers that have inundated most of the coastal areas. This has resulted in close to 90% of crops being destroyed, livestock being lost, and close to a thousand households been affected.”
As floodwaters begin to slowly recede in several areas, Government has commenced its flood assessment exercise to determine the extent of the losses incurred across the country. Officials from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and officers from various agencies from the Ministry of Agriculture have been visiting affected communities to gather data to determine farmers’ and residents’ losses. A team from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is also currently in the country conducting a Detailed Disaster Sector Assessment (DDSA) on the current flood situation.
The Minister further stated that Government would need assistance with rebuilding the economy, more so the agriculture sector, once floodwaters have receded.
The subject Minister also disclosed that Government is making preparations to effectively manage some of the impacts of the ongoing flooding. This, he added, includes the outbreak of water-borne diseases.

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