Government to craft ‘Agenda of Action’ to help farmers

THE GOVERNMENT PLANS SOON CRAFTING ‘AN AGENDA OF ACTION’ from
ideas culled from a range of ongoing meetings with Pomeroon/Supenaam (Region Two)
farmers President Irfaan Ali said Friday.
The Head of State, Cabinet Ministers, several Members of Parliament (MPs) and a large team
of technocrats from several government ministries, are in Region Two as part of a two-day
cabinet outreach.
“The next two days, we will be exclusively at your service in Region Two. We are your
servants. We are here to listen to you and to communicate to you some of the things we’ve
done and about the plans we have,” President Ali explained
He told farmers at a meeting held at the Rice Producers Association (RPA) bond in Anna
Regina, that the presence of the large team is to help evaluate the needs of the region from a
broad, inter-disciplinary view.

President Ali explained that the meeting is also geared at identifying key priority areas that
require further investments to stimulate the agriculture sector in Region Two, especially rice
production.

Last year the GRDB and the Agriculture Ministry collaborated for a training programme to
help improve rice farmers knowledge to boost production beyond the 25 bags per of paddy
acre they were harvesting then.

The plan then was to “to increase farmers’ rice yields by introducing good agricultural
practices (GAP), an integrated set of recommended crops, soil, water, weed management
practices and ensuring our farmers nourish their crops with appropriate amounts and types of
fertiliser and also prevent bug infestation in the field,” said Mr. Kuldip Ragnauth who was
then the GRDB Extension Officer.

The GRDB’s vision then was “to improve the national average of paddy and also improve
farmers’ livelihood,” Ragnauth had said.

President Ali and his entourage want to listen to issues residents feel are important to them
and to offer solutions.
Among the President’s cortège are Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips; Senior
Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh;
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Hugh Todd; Minister of Local
Government and Regional Development, Mr. Nigel Dharamlall; Chief of Staff of the Guyana
Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Godfrey Bess; Acting Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nigel
Hoppie, and National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia.