Min. Mustapha engages Essequibo rice farmers, fisherfolk on relief initiatives

Jun 11, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha recently met with rice farmers and fisherfolk from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) to discuss the planned relief initiatives announced by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.
With the rising cost of fertilisers due to the closure of many factories across the world following the global pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, farmers have been finding it hard to purchase such inputs.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

Additionally, fisherfolk have also been faced with hardships given the low level of catches received at sea over the past few months.
After taking note of the struggles of farmers and fisherfolk, the government upon reviewing its economic standing announced a $1 billion allocation to procure fertilisers for farmers alone with a $150,000 one-off relief grant for fisherfolk.
While speaking with rice farmers from the Essequibo Coast during a meeting in the Regional Democratic Council’s boardroom, Minister Mustapha told those present that rice farmers will benefit from $250 million worth of fertilizer to be used in time for the coming crop and that a committee comprising farmers from the various areas was tasked with compiling a list of beneficiaries.
“The last time we were here, the Vice President announced that the government will allocate $275 million to procure fertilizer to help the farmers in Region Two…We decided to have a nonpartisan committee selected by the farmers to guide the process so that at the end of the exercise, we will not have the same issues we had with the flood relief,” Mustapha said.
He added, “I’ve received a report and it is being suggested that the $250 million be divided by the amount of fertilizer that will be required for the crop. We’ll then source the fertilizer locally. So, for example, if a bag is $11,000, we’ll minus the amount that the government will subsidize and the farmers will pay the balance.”
One farmer suggested that farmers should receive monies to assist with returning to the land. He noted that as a result of last year’s flood, many farmers are still unable to return to the land.
However, Minister Mustapha said that the allocation was for the procurement of fertilizer given the rising cost of the fertilizers globally. He maintained that farmers will not be receiving the monies directly but rather the fertilizers based on what will be cultivated in the coming crop. He also reminded the farmer that many farmers were given flood relief assistance and seed paddy last year and that the government was in the process of completing that programme.
ADDRESSING FISHERFOLK
Meanwhile, during his meeting with fisherfolk from the region, Minister Mustapha said that committees will be established at every landing site and the list of fisherfolk will be available for examination at the landing sites.
He told those present that the various fisheries officers will work along with them and officials from the Regional Democratic Council to form the committees. This process, he added, should be completed in two weeks, after which the verification process will commence ahead of the payout scheduled to commence in July.
“We’ll take the entire month of June to verify the names. Do not try to smart the system. The Fisheries Department will work to ensure a committee is set up at every landing site to verify the names so that there can be transparency. There are five major landing sites on the Essequibo Coast. Altogether, we have about 16 because there are other small areas where boats come out,”
Additionally, the minister told the fishermen that a study to determine the reason behind low catches was conducted by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and once it is finalized that study will be made public.
“We are seeing increases in some species. While engaging fisherfolks across the country I made a commitment that a study will be conducted to determine the cause of the low catches. We engaged the FAO and they conducted a study. I received the second draft which shows that Guyana is not the only country affected by low catches. It is a phenomenon around the world that is mostly due to climate change. That report will be shared as soon as the final draft is completed,” he noted. (DPI)

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