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Agriculture Community Development Committee launched in Ithaca
The Minister with newly elected members of the committee and the Region Five Chair (far left) and VC (far right).
Kaieteur News – The Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, Regional Officials and Agricultural Officers from various agencies visited the farming community of Ithaca Village, West Bank Berbice, yesterday to launch a new Agriculture Community Development Committee.
It was during a previous visit by the Agriculture Minister that a request was made to have a group in the community to represent the needs of residents who are mostly dependant on agriculture to sustain their daily livelihood.
“I know that there is over 1,000 acres of land, land for cash crops, crops that we want to embark on so that we can continue to make Guyana an agriculture power house in this part of the hemisphere,” the Minister said while addressing those present.
He added that agriculture in the modern era should be looked at in a different perspective with emerging oil and gas country, agriculture is set to also stay at the forefront and foundation for development countrywide.
“I want to work with every single community in the agriculture sector, we were in Ebini in the Berbice River to refocus that research station, that station was set up to do research to help farmers get a new variety of crop and over the years it has lost its focus…for farmers like you with communities like these, they can give you advice, they can help you develop new varieties of crops and ensure that your crops are grown in a more scientific way rather than growing it in the old way,” the minister stressed.
He pointed out that if agriculture is to become one of the most important activities in the country then it can only be done through unity amongst all. Ithaca, he said has a rich agricultural history and was once considered the breadbasket of Region 5 but according to the minister, agriculture had taken a back seat with abandoned lands and lack of agricultural infrastructural work to help the farming community thrive. Minister Mustapha in that regard made the commitment to work with the farmers of Ithaca “so that it can be the breadbasket again” through investment.
“We have to re-commit to develop lands so that farmers can benefit, we will ensure you have the necessary tools to do so, NARI will come and help to train you the farmers in planting new crops because we have to do agriculture in a smarter way, a way to mitigate climate change,” the Minister underscored.
He further called on the farmers and residents to “put politics and race aside” because “every person is entitled to the same benefits and we will ensure that.”
Meanwhile, Regional Chairman for Region Five, Vickchand Ramphal, said that from the regional standpoint, the committee that is now in place was something that the administration wanted to implement for some time.
“We remain committed to work with you to ensure that your community is a part of the development drive,” the Chairman said.
Seven persons were elected to serve on the new committee with Micheal Jaque as the Chairman, Utundy Grant as the Vice Chairman, Jewel Sinclair will serve as its Treasurer and Jermain Benjamin, Nikita Sampson and Akeela Benjamin will serve as Committee Members. The newly elected Chairman, Micheal Jaque said, “We are willing to work with the government to see the development in Ithaca and wherever necessary, we are asking that there is no bias in the distribution of anything and we will try our best to see Ithaca once again being the breadbasket of the Region 5.”
Additionally, sanitisation hampers were handed over by the Minister of Agriculture for distribution in the community.
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