$98M to MMA/ADA for infrastructural works

Aug 26, 2020 News

The Irfaan Ali-led Government is currently in the process of handing over some $98M to the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) for infrastructural works.

Bholagosain’s flooded rice field

Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha

MMA/ADA is an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) responsible for managing, operating and maintaining all drainage and irrigation works for the benefit of farmers in Region Five.
In a recent press release sent out by the Agriculture Ministry on August 23, it was noted that a sum of $90M was approved by Cabinet to aid the MMA/ADA Scheme with infrastructural work.
It was also emphasized that the “green-light” for the monies to be released was given by President Irfaan Ali and Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo.
In a subsequent telephone conversation with the Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, Kaieteur News learnt that an additional $8M will be added onto the initial amount.
The Minister also notified that the paperworks for the funds are currently being finalized so that the infrastructural works can commence before next week.
Mustapha detailed that the works to be carried out are the repairs of dam breaches, sluice boxes which monitor the flow of water and clearing of canals.
The Minister justified that works were of urgency, because nothing was done by the agency for the last five years.
“I myself made some visits to the area and noticed that the canals and sluice boxes have been completely neglected,” said the Minister.
As a result, he said, the canals have been blocked up and the boxes have stopped working despite.
Mustapha said the General Manager of MMA/ADA had also admitted during a meeting that the agency has not been working for the last five years.
The Minister was asked by this newspaper if any reasons was given by MMA/ADA for the neglecting its duties.
To this the Minister responded, “The agency claimed it was low on cash and did not receive much funding for the previous government either”.
Nevertheless, it was pointed out by the Minister that under the previous administration rates and rentals of farm lands was raised significantly to assist MMA/ADA to carry out its duties effectively.
Kaieteur News reminded Mustapha of the many complaints made by rice farmers against the agency.
One such farmer was Ramcharran Bholagosain of Mahaicony Creek. Bholagosain said he lost more than 80 acres of rice due to slow movements to fix breaches by the relevant authorities.
The rice farmer claimed that he had notified the authorities of a minor breach in the dam. The man said he wanted to fix it himself but he instructed by the authorities not to do anything.
“I notified again and again as the breach got worse but they never came,” said Bholagosain.
Eventually, said Bholagosain, the breach got so big that a number of rice fields in the area were flooded.
“When all the crops perished then the men came with their machines to repair the dam.”
The new Minister told Kaieteur News that those complaints will be dealt with.

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