Suspected bush fire destroys Berbice farm

Oct 05, 2023 News

By Alex Wayne

Kaieteur News – Desmond Jacobs, a farmer of # 40 Village, West Coast Berbice is still reeling from the shock he received when he made a routine check on his cash crop and fruit farm at Belle Vue, West Coast Berbice on Monday last.

Jacobs made a routine visit to the farm and noticed smoke emanating from a section of the location. When he entered, he found a section of the farm ablaze. The flames soon raged out of control, engulfing cash crops, fruit trees, and a storage room with pesticides.

Upon discovering the blaze, Jacobs hurried from the location, but returned when the flames had almost simmered down. Using buckets of water, he extinguished the remaining flames amongst the badly damaged crops and trees. Jacobs estimated his losses to be in the excess of G$2M.

A section of the farm that was destroyed by fire.

While the authorities have deemed the fire to be of unknown origin, Jacobs is adamant that the inferno was an act of arson. He is urging the police to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident.

Officials of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) have since engaged the farmer on the ordeal.

Guyana is currently experiencing daily high temperatures. The prolonged El Nino period in has led to many bush fires erupting across the country.

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Alex Wayne, Belle Vue, National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), pesticides, West Coast Berbice

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