52,000 farmers to benefit from flood relief

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said 52,000 farmers countrywide will receive
financial flood relief packages to help them restart economic activities as soon as possible.
Mustapha made the disclosure while distributing government assistance to food producers in
East-Berbice Corentyne (Region Six) and the start of this week.
He said beneficiaries were selected on merit following assessments by three agencies under the
purview of the Ministry of Agriculture.
“This assessment was done by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA); National
Agricultura Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and Guyana Rice Development Board
(GRDB). Those three agencies were responsible. We have hundreds of extension officers across
the country, they went to various locations and they generated a list of those persons who were
affected severely,” the minister said in an interview with the state-controlled Department of
Public Information (DPI).

“A number of persons turned up feeling that this thing is for everybody but this is not for
everybody. This is for farmers who would have lost and w here the assessment was done and
were giving it in various categories,” such as households, livestock and the rice sector, Mustapha
explained.
As part of the package of assistance the Government has also provided funding for other
materials including 60,000 bags of seed paddy, planting materials and other genetic supplies to
further assist farmers in getting back on their feet quickly.
“So, all in all, there is a comprehensive package but I want to clear the misconception that not
every household will receive it or every family will receive it… This package is for persons who
have lost and their losses were assessed by the extension officers in these categories,” he noted.

Interior communities which do not have access to commercial banks, will receive their grants in
cash, rather than cheques.

The office of the Auditor General and other agencies will scrutinise the process to ensure
transparency, the government minister said.