–Minister Mustapha assures farmers
DEPLORABLE dams and canals in Helena, Mahaica, will be cleaned and installed, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has assured the community’s farmers, who have complained about the obstacles created by agricultural infrastructure conditions.
The minister made this commitment during a visit with other ministry officials, to the community on Tuesday.
The visit was the result of a request made by a group of farmers for the minister to visit the area to get a first hand look at some of the challenges they face in the area.
Basil Jagasar, also known as Bassan, a farmer, said many of the dams need repairing. He also said the canals needed to be cleared.
“We need help. We are happy that you are here today. The ditch is blocked and water enters our farms. Minister look at this dam. Can farmers bring produce on dams like this? It’s worse in the back, ”said the farmer.
Other farmers expressed similar sentiments about the need for urgent remedial works to other dams in the community.
The farmers present at the meeting also expressed dissatisfaction with the way a newly constructed bridge had been constructed.
They said the machines used to transport their produce from their farms could not cross the bridge because the rails were too narrow.
After listening to the farmers, Minister Mustapha said that a comprehensive assessment of the area will be carried out over the next few days, to determine how much work is needed.
The minister also visited the location where the bridge in question was built. After examining the works, he said that some earthwork would have to be done on the structure to accommodate the area’s farmers.
“Farmers here reached out to me last week and I decided to find out what can be done to help them because they have expressed that they face many infrastructure challenges. Since then, I have instructed our regional engineer to come back to the area tomorrow and work with the farmers.
“I have also asked for a comprehensive report on the work needed in the area. I should have that report by Friday so that we can prioritize the work and get started as soon as possible. There is also a bridge that was built last year as part of the NDIA capital program and I think we will have to do some restoration work on it, ”said Minister Mustapha.
Further, he added: “I have asked NDIA to make the bill of quantities available so that we can examine the scope of the work carefully. When we undertake work of this nature, we must ensure that stakeholders are involved in these projects at some level because they are the ultimate beneficiaries. “
Minister Mustapha also said that it is disappointing that farmers have to be brought to the attention of sub-standard projects when engineers are tasked with monitoring these projects.
“I am in the process of revamping the NDIA’s engineering department to make the agency more responsive and proactive. We can’t keep doing things in a chaotic way. We have to make sure that when these projects are done, they are done in a way that we can get value for money spent.
“These projects cost a lot of money and have to be done to the contractual specifications. We will also focus on how these contractors work. Work must be checked by our engineers before payments can be made, ”said Minister Mustapha.