Essequibo rice farmers lose millions to flooding

Dec 14, 2010 News

Rice farmers who occupy the Lima Housing Scheme area, on the Essequibo Coast, have suffered significant losses. Over the last month, an estimated 200 acres of rice lands continue to be submerged and for this, farmers have cast blame on an ineffective koker.
They say that the situation has been compounded by the persistent inclement weather.
According to the farmers, the Koker continues to be ineffective, since over a year and a half ago.
One farmer who lost 17 acres of rice to the accumulated water on his field said, “I already give up.” He said that for the past two to three weeks, all the affected farmers within the Lima Housing Scheme area, have tried to salvage at least 40 acres of rice, but to no avail.
“We tried with the single pump that we have, but because of the excessive volume of water, the pump is unable to release the water. I already give up.”
Another farmer, Sattaur, who has also lost his crop to spoilage, said that they have never experienced such a large intake of water to their rice fields.
He said that the Lima area has both the largest acreage of rice land and the largest operations of rice farming activity in that area.
According to the farmer, he depends on rice farming for his livelihood. Recently, on three occasions the Region Two administrations cleared the area, but again the Lima koker is silted.
“Millions of dollars have been spent to clear that area and yet we have to suffer this huge loss. It is a shame.”
Another rice farmer said that he has lost 16 acres, labour, cultivation expenses and seed paddy. On Sunday he had almost two feet of water in his fields.
The situation has escalated beyond their control and as such, they have visited the Regional Democratic Council Office at Anna Regina on Friday last to complain to the Region Two Vice Chairman, Vishnu Samaroo. All the farmers have said that to date no help has been offered, neither has any official visited the affected area.
“We ask for fuel to use the pump, but they told us they do not have any. If we had been given some fuel, we would not have ended up in this situation.”
One farmer pointed out that the water is escaping from the Sparta, Danielstown, Coffee Grove, Lima and Richmond. He is asking the administration to facilitate the area with two pumps.
Vice Chairman, Vishnu Samaroo said works were done in that area, but because of the accretion it is constantly accumulating mud sling, which has since resulted to clogging of the Lima koker.
Samaroo said that the administration will do everything in its capacity to help to again clear the out fall. [Yannason Duncan]

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