– Amid El Nino
-by Kyler Rollins
Amid ongoing El Nino conditions the Region Six RDC has assured that measures are being implemented to safeguard agricultural production and minimize the impact of the dry weather on farmers.
“We have been engaging with farmers on a day to day basis. Request that are made from farmers we are trying our utmost best to support them because we want to support agriculture. We want to support the growth of agriculture in the region. And like I said, we are doing everything so that even though we are faced with an unusual situation right now, we don’t want agriculture to stand still and we don’t want production to decrease,” RDC Chairman, Junior Basant, said during an interview with NCN News.
Basant said that during the current harvesting period, farmers are less reliant on water.
However, he noted that systems are in place to ensure an adequate water supply for cultivation as the dry conditions persist.
“After the harvesting period when they’re ready to revamp their lands, we have a system in place to have adequate water available for them where we’re taking water from the Canje Creek area and supplying the backlands and that will in turn supply all of the canals so that there is adequate water to all farmers throughout the region,” he said.
The chairman added that irrigation pumps are operational and supplying water to farmers based on their requests.
He noted that the situation is being closely monitored, with the RDC working with farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and its agencies to ensure adequate water supplies for agricultural activities.