Honey project, 500 coconut plants for Santa Aratack to advance agriculture

President Irfaan Ali on Tuesday travelled to Santa Aratack, an indigenous community in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), and announced several initiatives to expand agriculture there.

Santa Aratack is located along the Kamuni Creek, a tributary of the Demerara River and is only accessible by boat.

President Ali told villagers that the government will be investing in honey production for the community.

“We are going to give you 25 hives and we are going to train you and give you the safety equipment so that you can start producing the honey.”

He added: “I want to see the best packaged honey available so when the tourists come, all of them can go back with two bottles of honey.”

Five hundred coconut plants and 200 citrus plants were also handed over to the community on Tuesday.

“In three years, between the trees, between the 500 coconut trees that we will plant and the more than 200 citrus trees that we will plant, I want to see ecolodges,” the President said.

He also mentioned that he would like to see the community producing and exporting their own chicken and poultry products.

He envisions that within the next couple years, the community will be an agricultural hub and with the community’s support “next year in a bigger way we will be here again celebrating the fruits of thy labour.”

Additionally, 50 bags of fertilizer, two chainsaws, a fogging machine, mist blower, cutlasses and insecticide, among other items, were handed over to further develop agriculture in the community.

Meanwhile, President Ali also revealed that the community will also benefit from internet services that should be up and running by Wednesday afternoon.

Other initiatives include; a $19 million well that is set to begin construction in two weeks; the expansion of pipe networks in the community to the value of $10 million; the construction of a kitchen and fence for the primary school; and 40 HP engine and boat for the community.

Commitments were also made to clean the creek in the area.

“We will engage the community here and you will work with us on cleaning the creek, ensuring the free flow of the creek,” President Ali said.