Immediate interventions taken to ensure Region Nine farmers suffer minimal losses

Georgetown, GINA, June 14, 2011

Government is ensuring that aid is extended to all residents in communities across Region Nine who were affected by severe flooding which resulted from heavy rainfall over the past weeks.

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Ministry has been assisting in advancing this national assistance programme and from June 11-13, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, Permanent Secretary Collin Croal and officers from the Ministry conducted community outreaches to Aishalton, Sand Creek and Karasabai to gather detailed information with regards to the impact of the flooding on residents and their livelihoods.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Collin Croal speaking to Aishalton residents. Seated at head table are Minister Pauline Sukhai and Aishalton Toshao Hildebrand James.

Over 117acres of farmlands of mostly cassava crops were affected in the various communities and the Ministry of Agriculture has made interventions to assist farmers in saving their crops.

Minister Sukhai stated that necessary interventions will be taken to ensure that those affected have adequate food supplies and other immediate needs.

The Ministry of Agriculture also heightened its efforts to help farmers to reduce crop losses.

Agriculture Officer Michael Ramsammy has been visiting farms in the various communities to advise about measures that can be taken to reduce losses. He advised farmers with crops that were nearing maturity to reap immediately in order to save them.

Aishalton residents at a meeting with Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai.

To aid this process the Agriculture Ministry presented a cassava mill to Aishalton famers which is being transported to the farms so that as the cassava crops are being harvested it can also be processed and stored for future use.

This initiative, Minister Sukhai said, will contribute significantly to the villages’ food security in the coming weeks.

Storage containers were also provided for the farine and cassava while tarpaulins will be provided for farm camps which were destroyed during the rains.

The cassava mill has the capacity to process hundreds of pounds of cassava within a few hours and will help farmers to save as much of their staple food as possible.

The cassava mill which was presented to Aishalton residents by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Ramsammy has also been advising farmers about possible measures to reduce future flooding of their farms.

In addition to cassava mills which will be provided to other villages, Minister Sukhai advised the village councils to inform the Ministry about the immediate needs of the various communities so that Government can extend the necessary assistance to aid their recovery from the impact of the flood.