Georgetown : The Alliance For Change ((AFC) said the rice yield of the Essequibo coast which is approximately 1 million bags of paddy per crop will definitely see reduced figures at the end of this crop as a result of unreliable supply of water.
The AFC claimed that there is a single bulldozer (on the whole of the Essequibo Coast) attached to the Drainage and Irrigation Authority which works and maintains the access dams that farmers depend on heavily. This Bulldozer has been down for the last two months. Rice farmers have said that access roads are very important to rice cultivation and this unavailability of machinery to maintain these is quite unacceptable.
However Region Two Chairman Ali Baksh rejected claims made by the AFC but pointed out that farmers of the Region are beset by a number of problems, including irrigation.
He said that despite having a difficult crop due to the prolonged dry period, the region has already positioned itself to reap 100 percent of production, due to interventions which have significantly assisted farmers.
The chairman said, with assistance from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Water Users Associations (WUAs), assisted farmers with fuel and pumping water from the Pomeroon River into the Tapakuma Lake conservancy.
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