Baracara continues to benefit from extensive drainage, land development
– Making farming easier
Farmers of Baracara, Region Six, are benefitting significantly from the ongoing construction of new drainage network and land development, which will help to boost productivity there.
Baracara is a maroon village located along the Canje River in East Berbice Corentyne. The community is renowned not only for its exceptional music but also its significant contributions to the agriculture sector.
The ongoing development projects in the farming community will improve farmers’ access to their lands as well as create a better and more strategic drainage and irrigation system.
There is a possibility that hundreds of acres of new land could be opened up for agriculture when the massive empoldering work is complete.
The effective drainage and irrigation of farmlands, together with the construction of navigable roads and canals, is one of the essential components for the village to contribute to the overall success of Guyana’s food sector.
President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali made the commitment for the infrastructural works to be conducted to develop the farming capability at Baracara during a visit last August.
The government has been working diligently over the last two years to enhance productivity, thus improving the standard of living for residents of Baracara.
In January, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha visited the region to assess the ongoing infrastructural works and met with the farmers who were informed of the government’s plan to develop the sector within the farming communities along Canje Creek.
Farmers were reminded that government has allocated millions of dollars to build essential infrastructure and to help cattle farmers along the creek by supplying breeding stock.
Guyana remains keen in its food security efforts and continues to lead with its massive food agenda in the Caribbean, to lower the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.
Since taking office in August 2020, the government has made significant investments in drainage and irrigation systems, as a first step toward resolving Guyana’s flooding problem.
In this year’s budget, $19.7 billion was injected to construct new drainage and irrigation systems across the country, which will be facilitated by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA).
To ensure that food production becomes one of the key foundations of Guyana’s economic future, the PPP/C Government continues to make numerous crucial investments and interventions nationwide. The construction of farm-to-market roads, the promising black belly sheep project, construction and distribution of shade houses, distribution of farming implements and equipment, production of high-value crops, construction of pump stations, agro-processing facilities, and the implementation of climate-smart agricultural practices to enhance sustainability and resilience are among the initiatives to further boost the country’s agriculture productivity.