Minister Persaud donates cassava mill to Wauna Women’s group
-during farmers meeting
By Erika Haag-Tularam

Residents of Mabaruma, Region One whose livelihood were affected due to the recent spring tide were today given an opportunity to interact with Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, during a farmers’ meeting at the Agriculture Extension Centre, Mabaruma.
            He also took the opportunity to hand over a $750,000 cassava mill that will be serving satellite communities in the area; to reduce labour intensive tasks and improve their living conditions.
            The Minister was accompanied by Director of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth, Regional Chairman, Fermin Singh and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Admin), Ministry of Agriculture, George Jarvis.
              Minister Persaud while delivering remarks said that Government has been placing significant emphasis on agriculture in diversifying the base.
            As such, an excavator was handed over to the region to deal effectively with emergency drainage works in making farms more resilient.


Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud (second from left), flanked by Director of National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth, Regional Chairman, Fermin Singh and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Admin), Ministry of Agriculture, George Jarvis, during farmers’ meeting at the Agriculture Extension Centre, Mabaruma

            “It has been an ongoing effort by our Government; but as we make progress in this regard there will be difficulties and there will be new challenges…we have to be much more prepared for climate change.”
             “Throughout our country we will continue to deal with the erratic weather that is taking place. But we also have to look to working with farmers, look at how we can make our farming activities, climate resilient,” he said.
            To respond and deal effectively with the challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture will be looking at a three-pronged approach. This will see emphasis being placed on assistance to get farmers back to the land, lift and repair areas where spring tide caused flooding and identify areas where new farming can commence.


Attendees during farmers meeting at the Agriculture Extension Centre, Mabaruma.

             As such, Minister Persaud committed to sending an engineer and an excavator to determine the areas and commence D&I work, to have a combined approach to help restore damaged areas.  
            “There should be no preference as it relates to small or large farmers. We want to help every farmer so we have outlined three areas of assistance,” he said.
            An assessment has been conducted by the agriculture staff, identifying planting materials needed. Minister Persaud also indicated that a wider block of land will be developed in higher areas and then allocated to farmers.
Representatives of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), will also meet with farmers who desire to start planting rice.