-farmers told during Agri Ministry outreach to Region Six
As part of government’s ongoing efforts to create new ways to develop the agriculture sector in Guyana, Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder and a team recently met with groups of farmers in the villages of Siparuta and Orealla in Region Six and among plans mentioned were a road from Crabwood Creek to Kwakwani.
The delegation included, Chief Technical Officer, Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), George Jervis; Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) CEO, Nigel Cumberbatch; National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) CEO (Ag), Dave Hicks; Chief Fisheries Officer, Denzil Roberts; Guyana Marketing Corporation General Manager, Ida Sealey-Adams and National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) Crop Extension Assistant, Alvin Prabudial.
According to a MoA press release, during the meetings, several issues were addressed and the minister reassured the farmers of government’s commitment to ensuring that they all achieve the good life through agriculture. He also gave an overview of an agriculture development plan the Ministry intends to implement over the next few months that is designed to develop agriculture in these regions.
One of the components of the plan is the construction of an access road from Crabwood Creek to Kwakwani to open up lands for large scale production; a project that is expected to be executed by the ministry’s Agriculture Sector Development Unit, the MoA release added.
Farmers in both villages cultivate crops such as cassava, pineapple, avocado, plantain, bananas and citrus. Agriculture is mostly done on a subsistence level in these areas.
“Basically the plan is to take farming in villages such as this from subsistence farming to the next level of exporting agricultural commodities out of the region. This will stimulate the development of Region Six and Guyana as a whole. A plan of this nature is already being undertaken in Region Eight,” Holder was quoted as saying.
Several persons in Orealla have already benefited from the GLDA’s Hinterland Development Black Giant Programme, which aims to assist in making the hinterland regions less reliant on the coast for their food supplies.
Farmers who benefitted from this programme commended the authority for the progress made with the project in the village thus far, indicating that the animals are doing extremely well. They also requested the assistance of the Ministry with providing more chicks to other persons in the community who have expressed interest in getting involved in the programme.
GLDA’s Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Cumberbatch told residents that the authority is prepared to assist with the expansion of poultry rearing in the village.
“GLDA is willing to assist you with building your stock and also with the construction of a special hatch but we would need to know how many animals are needed. You can also recommend someone to undergo training at the Guyana School of Agriculture for two years to assist persons who are involved in agriculture,” Cumberbatch said.
The MoA disclosed that extension officers from the GLDA and NAREI are also expected to visit the community to conduct quarterly training exercises in the areas of poultry rearing, crop cultivation and agro-processing.