Over the weekend, cattle farmers Chatterpaul Sumsar, Amardi Sumsar, and Narad Jairam said that Government failed to make adequate provision for cattle in that location.

They claimed that the land identified by officials to be used as a cattle pasture, is not suitable since there is not adequate drainage.

“There is a cattle pasture at Number Fifty-two/Sixty-six but because there is no drainage, the babies (calves) die and some mothers (heifers) die too during the rainy seasons. The pasture is always flooded. It was never dry for the past three years.”

They are appealing to the President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud to intervene in order to save the cattle industry in that part of Berbice.

According to them, they get nowhere with officials in Region Six.

“We asked several government officials, the people from the Region to visit the savannah but nobody ever go.”

They are planning to travel to Georgetown on Wednesday to meet with Minister Robert Persaud.

Another gripe is that cattle rustlers are wreaking havoc and in addition to that they tamper with the brands.

Chatterpaul Sumsar now has only 350 heads of cattle. In 2008, cattle rustlers took 80 from him and so far this year, 40 are gone.

Overseas based Guyanese Amardi Sumsar, of Number Fifty-eight Village, has 80 cows. The losses, he said, are more than he can bear.

In 2006 cattle rustlers stole 370 heads of cattle from him, 100 in 2007, 80 in 2008 and 90 so far this year.

“What is going on in Guyana? I have a ranch. After investing so much money in cattle there is nobody to support us or help us to raise or protect our cattle. I think they at the NDC are putting too much pressure on cattle farmers and most of the farmers that rear cows plant rice as well. These stray catchers are stealing from cattle farmers. Every time the cattle is taken to the pound, cows are missing.”

Narad Jairam of Number Fifty-seven Village was in the cattle farming business for 30 years and each year his hopes fade.

In 2007 persons stole 29 cows from him, 10 in 2008 and to date in 2009 15 are gone.

Chatterpaul Sumsar said that he was victimized because some persons are abusing their power.

His story is that 45 head of his cattle were impounded on May 4th.

After paying $135,000 to the Number Fifty-two/Seventy-four Neighbourhood Democratic Council Pound, which is located at Number Sixty-four Village, the animals were released on May 6th but three calves and a heifer were missing.

According to him, the offence was that the animals were grazing at the Number Fifty-eight Water Side; a plot of land, which he claims, belongs to the Government.

The farmer explained that he was with his animals and he saw a group of men he recognised as stray catchers, all armed with cutlasses, approaching.

He said he knows two of the men. The one who is employed at the Guyana Elections Commission’s office at Springlands (name given) alleged that his (Chatterpaul Sumsar’s) cows trampled his farm at Number Fifty-nine Village.

He is convinced that the actions were illegal since there were no official records of the cattle at the pound.

“They ain’t suppose to accept animals at the pound without any documents from the authority that owns the land like the Sea Defence Board or the NDC. They didn’t even feed the animals or give water to them during the period they were impounded. We were there most of the time and we did not see them feed the animals. The pound also had no shed and the cattle were outside in the mud and so.”

He acknowledged that he never got official permission to graze his cattle on that land but said that he had been so doing for 30 years and was never reprimanded.

“These people take advantage of us. We get a letter from them to remove the cows from the land but the savannah they recommend is bad and we cannot graze our cattle especially the babies and pregnant ones there.”

On March 16th in a letter to Chatterpaul Sumsar signed by D. Nandalall of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority written on a letterhead from the Hydraulics Division of the Region Six Democratic Council, he was ordered to remove the cattle from that plot of land.

The document stated that despite several verbal warnings to remove the cattle from the cultivated and residential areas between Number Fifty-one and Seventy-four Villages, he still persisted.

This, the author of the letter claimed, was causing damage to the drainage and irrigation and the canal embankments especially when crossing cattle.

Region Six Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha, over the weekend, said that there is a cattle association in the Upper Corentyne and these farmers should become a part it.

He also suggested that the affected cattle farmers should meet with members of the body that was established to deal with such issues. The group comprises persons from the Water Users’ Association, Cattle Farmers’ Association, as well as rice and cash crop farmers.

“We cannot allow the cattle to destroy farmers’ crops. The cattle farmers involved in the destruction of cash crops should not rear their cattle at the expense of the poor cash crop farmers.”

He said that the cash crop farmers have been cultivating in that area for over 30 years. According to him, anyone can take cattle to the pound, especially if they are damaging crops.

Touching on the drainage situation for the cattle pasture, the Regional Chairman pointed out that the Guyana Sugar Corporation is at present preparing the pasture for the cattle farmers.