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Poor dams, roaming cattle, weather affecting Berbice rice production
– PM representative
The current rice crop is under siege from cattle farmers especially in Region 6 with only about 60 percent of the lands currently under cultivation.
This will mean that there will be a sharp decline in rice production in that East Berbice/Corentyne region this crop, according to Gobin Harbhajan, the Prime Minister’s representative in Region Six.
Other factors which will contribute to this decline are the refusal of persons to work rice cultivating areas and the extremely impassable conditions of the dams.
According to the official, rice farmers and members of the Water Users Association along with the President of the Rice Producers Association, Leekha Rambridge, have been making regular complaints to his office, of a festering situation with no apparent solution in sight.
Cows left roaming in rice fields in East Berbice are causing major damage to the crop.
PM representative in Region Six, Gobin Harbhajan
“It has been reported that the rice damage is mostly due to gross negligence by some cattle farmers who failed to control their animals. Furthermore, the rice farmers are at a disadvantage to take legal actions since nearly 80 percent of these big cattle farmers reside abroad, leaving workers (young boys) to manage their ranches.”
The official said that the cattle farmers would only come from US, Canada and the United Kingdom from time to time to sell off their bulls, “make a hefty tax free profit and depart back to overseas”.
“In addition, when these animals are involved in accidents, it is difficult to trace the brands which would have gone back to three generations. Sometimes, the brand owners have long been deceased leaving the accident victims with no option. It is time that the Minister of Social Security recalls these ‘outdated ‘brands and have the current owners do the necessary registration.”
Harbhajan suggested that the registrations should be publicly placed at the NDCs and the police stations for public verification if needs be.
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