Corentyne farmers without water to irrigate fields at “peak” of rice cultivation

Farmers located at Black Bush Polder and between Rose Hall and Number 52 Village on the Corentyne, are currently without irrigation water, as according to the farmers, the pumps are down due to the lack of fuel.

Leeka Rambrich, President of the Rice Producers Association, yesterday explained that close to 40,000 acres are presently being affected mainly because they are awaiting the arrival of fuel to power pumps in Black Bush Polder so that operations can commence.

However, according to information gathered, the required fuel was being diverted from the irrigation pumps to the drainage pumps last week.