Grande Riviere farmers face uncertain future

“It’s really frustrating right now,” Gomez said.

“There are about 25 other farmers in the community right now and all of us in some way or the other have suffered some kind of loss with our crops. The extension officer said that he was unsure when they would be able to send an official up here to survey the land or when they would be able to start the process for our compensation.” Gomez added that in the wake of the landslides he, along with others, have little choice but to to start from scratch as they are without any alternative means of supporting themselves. This is especially challenging, he says as many of the crops destroyed included plantain and cocoa which typically take between three to five years to yield a harvest.

“Those were trees we spent years and a lot of money managing and now, just like that, they are gone.” Leroy Peters, another farmer, said Minister of Works and Transport, Rohan Sinanan, visited the area yesterday and ordered an embankment in the vicinity of the Paria Main Road.

“I’m really concerned about what may happen if heavy rains fall again,” Peters said.

“These waterways might result in even more flooding and damage to the farmland than before when the soil becomes waterlogged.” Newsday attempted to contact an official at the Ministry of Land, Agriculture and Fisheries on the matter but was