Great help for farmers of Aranguez

THE EDITOR: Once again Aranguez farmers have suffered horrendous loss due to perennial floods. However, this year the Aranguez United Farmers Association (AUFA) has been working assiduously with officers of the Ministries of Works and Agriculture to bring relief to farmers.

This year, from the Aranguez dam to the Aranguez River Bridge on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, the river was dredged and the primary and secondary river bank rebuilt.

In response to a further appeal made by the AUFA to have the water courses cleaned and cleared in order to facilitate quick run-off and minimise flash flooding in the farm areas, the Agriculture Ministry provided an excavator to clean silted drains that were the main culprit for floods on the northern side of the highway.

The AUFA would like to go on record that the Agriculture Ministry played no part in the cutting of any coconut trees. It is unfortunate that what appears to be a feud for land – the land now seems to have three owners with three separate deeds – seeks to drag the officers of the ministry who are public servants into its land issue. While we sympathise with the loss of the trees, the ire of the real owners should be turned on the real culprits.

We also take this opportunity to rebut UNC councillors for coming after the fact to admonish the officers of the ministry as though they were guilty of a crime. There comes a time when we must put country before party.

For years farmers have suffered great losses without counsellors getting a water course cleaned, unless there was a general or local election in the air.

The AUFA thanks the Minister of Agriculture and his team of public servants for a great job and we look forward to working with them to keep farmers putting food on the nation's table.

PUNDIT SATYANAND MAHARAJ

president, AUFA