Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, on Thursday, blasted the previous APNU/AFC administration for “practically decimating the Agriculture sector” and for ignoring the plight of farmers in Guyana.
Dharamlall was at time responding to questions from Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul, during the consideration of the current and capital estimates for Region 3 under the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Government.
The previous Government, he said, did not really help farmers, especially those involved in rice and cash crops.
Dharamlall also noted that farmers have complained that many of the works done in the past in relation to drainage and irrigation, building of sluices and revetments etc, were substandard.
He told the National Assembly that weeks after the APNU/AFC Government demitted office, several of the sluices were breached resulting in many communities being flooded.
“Over the last month, many rive sluices were breached just weeks after APNU/AFC left office and the PPP assumed the governance of Guyana…so it is obvious that a lot of the works APNU/AFC did were of substandard quality,” the Minister expressed.
The previous administration, he added, used COVID-19 as an excuse not to get any work done.
Mahipaul, however, disagreed, arguing that it was under the Coalition Government that much of the ongoing works to support farmers started.
Minister Dharamlall assured that the PPP/C Government will work to ensure that farmers are given the necessary budgetary and technical support to allow them to thrive again.
