The government has since fulfilled 1500 agricultural commitments during recent community meetings country-wide.
Currently, 300 more are being examined by various agricultural agencies to find possible solutions for those farmers and residents.
This was disclosed by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha on Thursday, during an engagement with the residents of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, and Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara.
He explained that issues raised by residents to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, or any other government ministers are recorded and directed to the agriculture ministry.
“I had two officers this morning looking at the number of commitments that we have made from the agriculture sector. We have a dashboard from the Office of the President, so when an issue is put there, our people look at it and address it. And from the Ministry of Agriculture alone, we would have been able to fulfil almost 1500 of those commitments,” Minister Mustapha disclosed.
Some of those issues include drainage and irrigation, additional pastures for cattle rearing, fertiliser support, and the need for farming implements, among a plethora of other agricultural issues.
Minister Mustapha stressed that community engagement plays a crucial part in the development of a country.
As such, the government has since prioritised hosting frequent community meetings in villages across the ten administrative regions.
“When we come to these meetings and meet with the residents, we are not just coming to hear your concerns and then go back to the office and forget about it. We have people to follow and we also work with groups to ensure that we deliver on the commitments that we made,” the agriculture minister posited.
These engagements also contribute significantly to the government’s aim of including every citizen in agricultural development and reducing the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
Since the PPPC Government took office in 2020, it has fulfilled all its manifesto promises with additional commitments being made consistently. (Extracted from the Department of Information)
