APPROX $9000 FOR A VOTE Aranjuez/Bamboo farmers receive $2.8 million Monday, November 4 2013 The Ministry of Food Production has given out some $2.8 million in cheques to 310 farmers in Aranjuez/ Bamboo Settlement and environs who lost their crops during unexpected heavy April showers this year. For the fiscal year, the ministry has processed $12 million in claims for farmers and fishermen affected by floods and bad weather conditions, according to Food Production Minister Devant Maharaj. Maharaj told the farmers on Friday last, that to date the ministry has processed 419 claims to the value of $4.2 million for farmers affected by floods in Sangre Grande and the Aranjuez/Bamboo areas. From 2011 to the present time, he said that the ministry has processed 566 claims at a value of $5.5 million for the communities of Aranjuez/Bamboo and environs. Claiming that the processing and disbursement of the relief was done this time around within record time, Maharaj said that under the former People’s National Movement administration farmers would have waited for two to three years for their claims to be processed. “This administration recognises that processing flood claims as fast as possible, is vital to ensuring that the livelihoods of our farmers are restored as soon as possible and our nation’s food supply is not compromised,” he said. In brief remarks, Bharath Rampersad, president of the National Food Crop Association, and of the Aranjuez United Farmers Association, thanked the ministry for its response to the farmers’ plight. While the relief will come in handy, he said, “We don’t want flood cheques. We want a maintenance programme that will help to alleviate flooding. It is heart rending to watch our crops submerged during the dry season as happened this year.” Though thankful for the compensation, he said that the losses were never recovered. “Even though the previous administration’s timing was worse,” Rampersad said, “I think that this administration could do even better.”
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 06:51:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015