October 3,2016
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder today accepted a proposal to commence discussions for an all-weather road from #58/59 Villages to Canje Creek, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Upon completion, over 8000 farmers stand to benefit.
The release said that the proposal was made by the Berbice Regional Representative, Office of the Prime Minister, Gobin Harbhajan. The Regional Chairman of Berbice, David Armogan also applauded the benefits of the project adding that access to lands is one of the factors hindering further agricultural development in the region.
Harbhajan explained that in 2006, the former president of the Upper Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Industry David Subnauth floated the idea of an all-weather road from the public road to the Canje Creek but he saw no avenue at the time to promote it.
“In 2015 when the Coalition government came into power I decided to rekindle this idea which I know would receive the focus it deserved. I then discussed the idea of this project with the owners of Nand Persaud and Company Limited who agreed that the construction of this road will make a vast amount of scarce lands available to farmers,” Harbhajan said.
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder welcomed the project adding that such collaboration is needed to fully unlock the potential of agriculture sector in the Region.
The release said that Harbhajan engaged the help of National Drainage and Irrigation Authority engineers to design the plan for the construction of the all-weather road.
The release said that the planned $900M investment will also pave the way for additional rice lands to be brought under cultivation. The next phase of the project will see the team engaging the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission, after which the proposal will be sent to Cabinet
Agriculture Minister Noel Holder (third from right) receiving the plan from Gobin Harbhajan, the Prime Minister’s representative. (Ministry of Agriculture photo)