Agri. Minister discusses medium, long term plans for Region Five

Aug 12, 2024 News

Some of the farmers at the meeting in Region Five

Kaieteur News  – Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha on Saturday said government is working to modernise the country’s drainage and irrigation system.

The minister made the disclosure during a meeting with farmers from Prospect and other surrounding communities in Region Five (Mahaica Berbice), the ministry said in a press release. Minister Mustapha said that the government is currently working to develop an integrated drainage system for the country.

“We started that programme with the construction of the high-level Hope Canal when we were in government prior to 2015. When that canal was constructed, many persons were criticizing it, calling it ‘Jagdeo’s white elephant’. We saw the usefulness of that canal when we had the flood in 2021. While all the areas in the country were affected, that area and Georgetown were not affected because the water was draining directly to the Atlantic Ocean,” he explained.

Minister Mustapha also said the tender for the high-level Hope-like canal being constructed in Region Five will be out in the coming week. “In our manifesto, we said we’d construct other high-level canals in various parts of the country. Based on our assessments, it was observed that the best places to construct these canals were in Regions Three, Five, and Six. Work has already commenced in Region Six to construct two of those canals. We are doing an embankment from Number 66 Village to the Canje Creek to prevent water from coming from the backlands into the cultivation areas when there is heavy rainfall. In Region Five, we’ll do another set of high-level canals. In the coming week, the tender will be out. The expression of interest has already been published for these canals. This Danzig / Prospect area is slated for one. With that, we’ll install several irrigation pumps to bring water from the backlands into the irrigation system so that farmers can have sufficient irrigation. This will work in conjunction with the high-level canal so that we will not experience flooding when there is heavy rainfall. We are also constructing a pump station at Cottage. That pump will help with the long-term development of this area,” he explained.

While speaking on the medium-term plans, Minister Mustapha said that the requests made by farmers during meetings with officers from the Guyana Rice Development Board GRDB) for infrastructural upgrades to drainage and irrigation structures as well as the clearing of canals will be done. “We’ll work to clear those canals and build those dams. These will be medium-term developments because we have to have a work plan. I cannot send machines into the area without doing a proper analysis and survey. So, the NDIA will be working on that. The NDIA Chairman will be coming with a team to look at the area, and once the survey is complete, I will designate machinery to do the work. I am optimistic that within a month, those works can commence,” Minister Mustapha added.

• Agriculture Minister, and Six, Five, Mahaica- Berbice, Regions Three, Zulfikar Mustapha