Rice straw silage training for Lovely Lass

— training to help cattle and crop farmers work together

— “together we can find solutions” – Min. Holder tells residents

DPI, Guyana, Friday, November 15, 2019

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Nigel Cumberbatch, has committed to once again carrying out training for the use and storage of rice straw for livestock consumption.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Nigel Cumberbatch [left] and Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Noel Holder [right] interact with one of the rice farmers.

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Noel Holder gives his opening remarks to the villagers of Lovely Lass, West Coast of Berbice (WCB).

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Nigel Cumberbatch.

The revelation was made during a community meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Noel Holder at the Groden Nursery School, as he met with the residents of Lovely Lass and neighbouring villages on the West Coast of Berbice (WCB). The minister came well equipped with his full complement of technical officers and agency heads.

The commitment for training came after a cash crop farmer, Deon Grant expressed frustration, during the meeting, that his produce was being eaten by the livestock which, he opined, is overcrowding the area.

“We find that people keep cattle where they live, unfortunately for this community, it is within the village. The animals have to be fed, and we are in a rice-growing area, and we try as much as possible to use the waste product from one agricultural entity in another. The cattle can eat the rice straw that is left after harvest, so there should be a synergy between the two. The GLDA can show you how this can be done in terms of storage and use for the cattle. We have the staff here, and we can arrange the training session,” the GLDA’s CEO told the farmers.

This is the second time such a training exercise will be carried out in the community, as the GLDA had hosted a similar session under an FAO programme.

In his remarks, Minister Holder highlighted the importance of reaching out to the people.

“We are bringing the government to the people. You don’t have to come to the city to see politicians and risk not seeing them because they’re occupied with other matters.; because we thought if we came to you, together we can find solutions.”