Major drainage and irrigation works conducted in 2023

– new equipment procured

The government through the Ministry of Agriculture has conducted major infrastructural works throughout the country through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority.

These developments include the creation of proper waterways, farm-to-market roads, and the construction of new pump stations.

The achievements were listed by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, during the ministry’s end-of-year press conference on Saturday in its boardroom, Regent Street, Georgetown.

“For the first time in the history of our country, we have constructed a conservancy in Region Ten where farmers are now benefitting from irrigation water in the area,” the minister said.

As it pertains to road works, Minister Mustapha stated that approximately 50 farm-to-market roads have been constructed during the past year.

He posited that farm-to-market roads were built for the first time in areas such as Nabacalis on the East Coast, Tacama in Region Nine, and Mahaicony in Region Five among other communities.

Meanwhile, the minister said that NDIA’s fleet of equipment to perform these works has increased.

“Our fleet of equipment has increased tremendously both from the NDIA and the Mahaica, Mahaicony Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA). We have seen over the last three years, MMA had three dilapidated excavators, today it boasts a fleet of almost six of those excavators. In the NDIA we have seen a number of new equipment, things like pontoons and excavators in the Pomeroon,” Minister Mustapha related.

He added that a pontoon and two more excavators are slated to be bought and put in the Pomeroon River.

According to the minister, NDIA has also built cutting-edge dredges that are capable of doing massive work to deal with siltation.

The ministry has since planned to increase the fleet of equipment for the new year.