Agriculture, health care intervention among support for Hague Backlands – President Ali

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced a series of interventions for residents of Hague Backlands along the West Coast of Demerara in Region Three.

During a community engagement, the president said the intentions are aimed at stimulating the local economy and uplifting livelihoods.

About two acres of land will be cleared and empoldered next week for small-scale farmers.

The head of state said the government is ready to collaborate with farmers to start a shade house project to boost the production of high-value crops.

The project will help to generate more income for many families. Some crops proposed for cultivation include tomatoes, sweet peppers and celery.

The Ministry of Agriculture will also provide training, farming materials and other technical support to those in need.

“If we take 10 acres of the pasture land, in every acre we can have four shade houses. In ten acres, you will have 40 shade houses. One shade house would give you more money than five acres of land sometimes. We can do that for Vergenoegen, Den Amstel, and all of these areas,” the president said.

The government has also committed to providing markets for the farmers’ produce such as plantains and sweet potatoes.

President Ali emphasised the need to help farmers create the best optimal business model, stressing that this is achievable if farmers work together.

“We have to find a way in which we have these consultations with farmers…To help you to build the optimal business model and for that to happen, you have to come together…If we bring 200 farmers with 10 acres each that is 2,000 acres of land. We can then form a committee and you will have to work together,” the Guyanese leader stated.

Improving  infrastructure, health care and safety

Residents of Hague will also benefit from increased road accessibility.

“The intention eventually is to make all these dams crush-surface…We have advised the engineers to build the roads with the shoulders so that we could put the drainage at the side of the shoulders. All the dams need to be fixed before production comes out,” the president stated.

President Ali noted that streetlights will also be installed to improve safety and security for residents.

A team will be visiting the community on Monday to design the blueprint for a new health centre.

The community will also benefit from the construction of a new ballfield to provide a safe space for residents (Republished from the Department of Public Information)