Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha yesterday commissioned a pontoon and two excavators valued at approximately $230 million at Kumaka, Region One, for agricultural and waterway works.
According to a Ministry of Agriculture release, the equipment was provided following requests made by residents during earlier outreaches conducted by President Irfaan Ali and Mustapha.
“When the President and I came here, you made these requests. Today, this is what development looks like; when a government listens and delivers,” Mustapha was quoted as saying.
Two tractors were also handed over to the villages of Manawarin-Arawansa and Burahara to support agricultural and community-development activities.
Mustapha said the investments were part of the government’s programme to restore and expand the region’s productive capacity. Region One has been identified under the national agricultural plan as a major area for spice production, the release said.
The minister also called for increased youth participation in agriculture and said the government was prepared to support young people interested in entering the sector, including through opportunities for further studies.
Mustapha announced that two head of cattle, two swines and 300 broiler chickens would be provided within one month to support the practical component of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Agricultural Science programme at a school in the region.
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