Over 5,000 Region Five farmers receive $1B in flood relief grants

More than five thousand flood affected farmers in the Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five) on Sunday received some $1 billion in flood relief grants.

The Bath Settlement and Woodley Park farmers can now return to their farms with some amount of financial relief.

Since the beginning of the rainy season back in May, thousands of farmers across the country suffered tremendous losses as a result of the countrywide flooding.

Cane Grove farmer Narine Lall lost 80 acres of rice crop and other things amounting to some $7.2 million. He expressed gratitude for the financial assistance.

“I start sow about 80 acres of rice and I lost all duh, the whole 80 acres, today I receive $5.2 million and I thankful for that and it will offset some of my debts, not all but I’m thankful for that. I will try my best to use this, utilise it and put myself back in line.”

Shaneeza Majeed, a single parent and small-scale farmer is grateful for the Government’s assistance in getting her back on her feet.

“Meh receive $50,000. I have lost 10 sheep and 10 goats everything I lost and I is a single parent, my husband died last year. And I have one son he name is Toolsie, he is sixteen and I put him for public assistance and I appreciate the help, I will take the money and help put myself back together.”

Minawattie Jinauth was also among those that received their relief on Sunday.

“It will help me because right now I don’t have nothing on the land. I received $1.2 and I’m thankful for it and thanks to the agriculture minister, because nobody didn’t book meh name and I show him my story about my tractor and everything, and he listened to my problem and he help me and I am thankful for that.”

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, MP, who led the distribution, told farmers that the Government’s programme seeks to alleviate the burden they faced.

“You can see the kind of investment that we are making in terms of alleviating the problems and the burdens Guyanese were faced with over the last five years prior to 2020 August. We have seen a number of measures that was imposed on the Guyanese people that has put a lot of burden on the Guyanese people and we had said when we get back and we will remove those burdens and today we are here comrades to deliver again, to rollout the programme of prosperity to the people of our country because we are putting the money for the benefit of the people.” The flood relief distribution continues across the country.