Mara farmers to get orange plants, fertilisers

Cash crop cultivation for several farmers within the Maratraite (Mara) community, on the East Bank of Berbice, will soon be enhanced with an additional 100 orange plants, as well as 75 bags of fertilisers.

Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, M.P, made the commitment during a recent outreach to the Region Six district.

“You said you need orange plants, those are permanent crops. I will make 100 orange plants available for these farmers here.  You all will receive that within a week.”

The minister explained that the gesture, though small, is part of a wider plan by the government to ensure farmers across Guyana produce on a larger scale, to fulfil the food demands in the Caribbean.

“I am making these interventions, to ensure that the communities and by extension the country benefit. As a government, we will continue to assist you. The five tubes that you need, NDIA will be working along with you.”

Further, Minister Mustapha said with the increase in fertiliser price, the ministry is currently negotiating with its bilateral partners to reduce the cost.

“We are getting it between $8,500 to $8,900 and sometimes $10,000. What we have done over the last few months, we have been talking to the importers of fertilisers and as a result of that they have reduced their cost.

Because if we didn’t talk to them, they would have increased it more. In the meantime, we are negotiating with our bilateral partners to see if we can bring in the fertiliser at a cheaper cost,” he added.

Minister Mustapha said government is looking at other ways to invest in the ancient county to improve agricultural activities.