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Heavy investments in Region Five Agri-sector yielding dividends – Chairman
(Kaieteur News) – Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five), which is sustained largely by its agricultural activities, continues to note a marked dominance in the sector.
Rice farming, cash crop farming, small-scale fishery, livestock, and sugar cane harvesting have long since been essential to the livelihood of the over 50,000 residents there.
In a recent media engagement, Regional Chairman Recardo Phillips shared that the sector and its traditional activities have seen a steady rise in performance, as a direct result of strategic and consistent investment made by agencies within the sector.
“Across Region Five, our successes are dependent on inter-agency collaboration, because farming, especially rice farming- which is our main farming activity executed in Region Five- we have to get strong inter-agency support,” Phillips told reporters.
Region Five Regional Chairman, Recardo Phillips
These sector agencies include the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Mahaica Mahaicony Abary – Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA), the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), all of which, according to Phillips, are credited for the positives for the region with regard to agriculture. These, while holding their individual responsibilities, would yet coordinate to assist with service delivery.
For example, the NDIA is backed by MMA-ADA with respect to drainage and irrigation operation there, while the GRDB offers technical support and advice.
Rice Farming
The chairman disclosed that 82,675 hectares of rice were sown in the region, from which there was a harvest of 82,412 hectares. An average yield stands at 6.6 tons per hectare.
Government through the Ministry of Agriculture has recently extended support via an intervention of $300 per bag of paddy to rice farmers. The aggregate number of farmers to receive cheques is 1,618. To date, 1,513 farmers have received theirs. This represents an overall $480M investment to rice farmers in Region Five.
Additionally, 148,177 bags of fertiliser from a $973.3 million intervention were distributed to farmers by the GRDB. As a rice producing stronghold, the regional chairman stated that the basic aim is to support rice farmers.
“We’ve seen the rise in operational costs of the farmers, and we intend to curb this increase…. we will subsidise certain aspects of rice farming.”
Further support measures to boost rice production in the region were the distribution of 353 bags of seed paddy totalling $1.7 million, and chemicals for paddy bug infestation. These measures, concentrated on the rice industry alone, accounts for $1.8 billion, Phillips released.
MMA-ADA and NDIA
The region benefited from the maintenance of 900 miles of channels, and the construction of two new sluices and pump structures in Mahaica, all undertaken by the MMA-ADA and NDIA, which also conducted maintenance to major drainage network there. There are also plans to make available more lands for farmers.
“600 miles of access dams were also maintained, and this is to enhance accessibility to rice lands so that the operational costs to farmers will be lower.”
Placing major emphasis on the works of the sectoral agencies, the chairman highlighted too that main drainage canals were cleaned and excavated, and 675 acres of land were opened up for farmers. These interventions under NDIA cost $1.4B.
GLDA
Phillips also noted that some 844 households benefited from the black giant initiative, while 1000 ducklings were donated to farmers. A total of 118 benefitted from the Barbados black belly sheep project, and 54 sheep and goat farmers were given five acres each. Hailing these as positives, the chairman posited that the sectoral and general advancements in the region is without dispute.
“The developments we have seen are tangible, and I’m sure that every resident of Region Five is feeling the positive benefit,” he emphasised.
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