Rambharat optimistic: Mid-year budget review to relieve farmers

UPDATE:

HELP is on the way for farmers whose crops were destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Bret and flooding last October, in the form of cash reimbursements. The assurance was given by Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat yesterday as he revealed a $38 million allocation to his ministry in the mid-year budget review.

Speaking with Newsday at a symposium on Food and Nutrition Security at the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) St Augustine campus, Rambharat said an estimated $7 million from this allocation will be made available to farmers specifically for flood damage. He expressed optimism that the allocation will go a long way towards stimulating agricultural production and providing much-needed relief to farmers.

“An estimated $31 million is allocated to the agricultural incentives programme and there is a $7 million provision for flood damage. We have about 1,083 outstanding claims to be paid out and $1 million is to help us in paying out these claims.”

Asked to comment on the Prime Minister’s announcement that an estimated $9 billion will be allocated to housing, Rambharat said the figure represented the combined investment of both government and private-sector stakeholders.

Referring to the Eden Gardens development project in Curepe, Rambharat said the allocation would not only provide housing for people in need, but also reduce the cost to taxpayers through the partnership with private-sector developers. He added, “I would like the crime situation to be reduced so that the Ministry of National Security can receive less money and perhaps we (Agriculture Ministry) can get some more money, but there are competing interests.

“Taxpayers paid $175 million for the land: what that does is contribute to the final cost of the individual unit, and by not having to buy land for some of our new housing, we are actually reducing the cost to the taxpayer. So by using state land in Curepe and St Augustine we are eliminating the cost, and it’s only going to be the construction cost that the private sector will bear.”

ORIGINAL STORY: 

Help is on the way to farmers whose crops were destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Bret and flooding last October, in the form of cash reimbursements, according to Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Clarence Rambharat yesterday as he revealed a $38 million allocation to his ministry for the mid-year review.

Speaking with Newsday at a symposium on Food and Nutrition Security at the University of the West Indies' (UWI) St Augustine Campus this morning, Rambharat said an estimated $7 million from this allocation will be made available to farmers.

He said this was specifically for flood damage and expressed optimism that the allocation will go a long way towards stimulating agricultural production and providing much-needed relief to farmers.