Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday commissioned the $650 million Canal No. 1 Pump Station in Region Three, which the ministry says will improve drainage for approximately 5,000 acres of land.
The facility has four drainage pumps with a combined capacity of 580 cubic feet per second and is expected to benefit thousands of farmers and residents, according to a Ministry of Agriculture release.
Mustapha said the investment would help protect livelihoods and agricultural production, reduce losses from flooding and improve the region’s ability to cope with unpredictable weather.
He said the project formed part of the government’s wider programme to modernise drainage and irrigation infrastructure and expand agricultural production.
According to Mustapha, $81.9 billion, or 72.3 per cent of the ministry’s $113.2 billion budget for 2026, has been allocated to drainage and irrigation. He compared this with an allocation of $9 billion in 2020.
National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Chairman Lionel Wordsworth said the facility was one of six pump stations built in Region Three over the past six years under a wider drainage improvement programme.
The ministry said the project included the installation of two additional pumps and the construction of a community centre valued at approximately $60 million.
Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture Vikash Ramkissoon also addressed the commissioning and commended the NDIA’s work in the region.
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