Plum Mitan farms lose big after floods

3276946

PETER CHRISTOPHER

[email protected]

Days after farmlands and several crops in Plum Mitan were destroyed by floodwaters, the Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed that work has been done to ensure pumps in the community which may have lessened the damage are operational.

Farmers, who estimated that they lost millions of dollars in destroyed crops, told Guardian Media that the pump had no fuel to push the water out of their land, all but consigning their produce to ruin.

“It’s real chaos to know it have a pump in the area to drain out the water and it’s a poor excuse that they’re using by not supplying fuel,” Nigel Harriham said as he overlooked his farmland which was inundated in water in excess of three feet last Wednesday.

Harriham, who grows cucumbers and peppers, would have supplied those products to Namdevco. Instead, he spent much of last week inspecting the land in the faint hope that he could salvage anything.

His outlook was not positive.

“Right now, this situation, it’s discouraging farmers. As young people and young farmers, we are trying to feed we country, trying to support we country so that we would have things and now we would have to go and take something to buy something,” he said.

Another farmer, Narad Sobha, was similarly frustrated by the situation, as he estimated he lost thousands of dollars worth of crops in the flooding, while he also paid out of his pocket to attempt to pump the water out.

“I fed up pump water, I spend 2,000 and change already trying to help myself to pump out the water from the land,” Sobha said.

When contacted yesterday, Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat said he was aware of the flooding and pointed out that a team from the ministry had visited the community along with the officers assigned to the area. He said his Permanent Secretary Susan Shurland was more up to date on the situation.

When contacted on the matter, Shurlan confirmed that the ministry team had met with the farmers and between the ministry and Namdevco, several barrels of diesel fuel had been sourced for the pumps, with ten barrels delivered to the area on Friday. Shurland also told Guardian Media that following an investigation from officials, they realised a sluice gate to allow the water to run off had been closed and had to be reopened. She also confirmed plans to install a newer pump in the area to assist with the runoff of water.

Shurland said officials were set to return to the area this week to do further assessments of the losses suffered by the farmers to ensure that Flood Relief Grant applications can be completed and submitted so the farmers can receive aid in the wake of the disaster.