Hope farmers losing crops in canal works

-say no word from ministry on promised compensation

Several Hope, East Coast Demerara farmers say that ongoing work on the Hope Canal has seen some of their crops destroyed and the authorities are mum on compensation promised.

The farmers visited the Ministry of Agriculture yesterday in an attempt to meet with an official to air their concerns but they did not get to see anyone, they said. One rice farmer, Harry Rampersaud, said that he will lose five and a half acres of rice because a rice harvester will be unable to get into his field due to the high mound of dirt that blocks access to his field. Parts of his several rice fields were covered with mounds of mud and the contractors reset a picket line that was originally in place, he said.

Earth at the side of the Hope Canal slipping into the water.

Attempts to contact Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday afternoon were futile. In December, when concerns were raised about the impact of the Hope Canal on farmers, the minister had promised to work with the residents and farmers in the area to address some of their grievances.

Yesterday, the farmers told Stabroek News that in December, the excavators working on the Hope canal reached the area where their farms are located and pickets were placed along the side where the excavated earth would have been placed.  But the huge mounds of earth surpassed the pickets. “They geh the line and they pass the line and they seh they gon compensate we,” said farmer Rabindranauth Doodnauth. He said that the mud covered about 130 of his young papaw plants and over 60 roots of squash.

Harry Rampersaud showing where earth from the Hope Canal encroached on his rice field.

He said that an official from the Agriculture Ministry came to check the damage, took their information and promised compensation at $40 per plant. But the farmers said that they had purchased the plants from $100 upwards and had their crops grown, they would have reaped greater returns. They were not happy with the sum offered. “You spend thousands of dollars and they gon offer you $40,” one of them exclaimed. They said that since then they have not heard back anything about compensation. “So they geh you, they just swing you, ring you and bring you,” another said.  They said that about 14 farmers were affected.

Feroze Mohamed said that about 60 banana suckers and ten roots of squash were buried under the mud. He also said that drainage was affected and they were lucky that there has not been much rain at present because there was no place for the water to run off. Ramdial Doodnauth said that he had lost about 50 banana suckers.

Earth from the Hope canal encroaching on farmers’ fields.

Rampersaud, meantime, said that the high mounds of earth have cut off access to one of his rice fields. The paddy would be ready to reap next month but the rice harvester and truck will be unable to access the field, he said. He added that because of this, he is looking at the potential loss of five and a half acres of rice. He said that in other fields that line the canal, some of the rice plants were also destroyed but he was offered no compensation. “Dem bully you and do what dem want to do,” the frustrated man said. “How can the country run when the destroying what you are trying to reap?”

Excavator zone: Excavators at work on the Hope Canal at Dochfour/Hope yesterday. The canal, when completed, will drain excess water from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) into the Atlantic Ocean. (Anjuli Persaud photo)

Rampersaud also said that excavators and other equipment were using a dam that he had built to get access to his rice fields to get to an area where they were working. He said that they were destroying the dam and he was worried that it would deteriorate further and he would be unable to get access to his rice fields. “Me personally make that dam. Me geh receipt which me can produce.

Me can even bring the man who mek the dam,” he insisted. He said that he had spoken to the operators to no avail. “I am not trying to prevent them from doing their work. That is why I din go nowhere, but they are trying to rample me now,” he said.