The Ministry of Agriculture has invited tenders for rehabilitating drainage pumps in Essequibo,Cheap Jerseys From China, maintenance works on the main drains in Region Three and repairs on machinery on East Coast Demerara (ECD).These projects are likely to alleviate the frequent flooding being experienced by farmers on the Essequibo Coast. They also represent some of the biggest contracts in the agriculture sector that have been put out by the Ministry for 2015.The nearest equivalent in recent months was a tender put out under the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) for constructing a tail regulator at Buxton, ECD in October. The engineer’s estimate was $16.4M.In the tender,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, seen by Kaieteur News on Monday, the Ministry invited suitably qualified persons to bid for these contracts. The bids will then be opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).The first contract is for the NDIA, an arm of the Ministry of Agriculture. Bids were invited for the rehabilitation of drainage pumps at Three Friends,Cheap NFL Jerseys, on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two. The estimated cost of this project is $147.3M.The Ministry also plans to undertake mechanical repairs on NDIA’s No. 10 320CL caterpillar Hydraulic excavator at Hope Estate compound, Hope, ECD,Cheap Jeseys NFL, Region Four. As such, a contract, estimated by engineers at $5.2M, is being tendered.And finally, another contract is currently being tendered for the monthly maintenance and cleaning of the Canal No.1 and Canal No. 2 main drains, West Bank Demerara (WBD),Cheap Jerseys, Region Three. This project is estimated at $49.4M.There have been reports that the lack of maintenance of the drainage and irrigation systems in Region Two – Pomeroon/Supenaam over the years has caused excess siltation, which precipitated the recent flooding of rice lands between Sparta and Windsor Castle,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Essequibo Coast.There are reports that the regions have also been plagued by mechanical issues with respect to equipment. One reason is vandalism, flagged as contributing to the non-functioning of several of the heavy-duty machines and other apparatus.Rice farmers emanating from Sparta/Windsor Forest have been calling for the Ministry’s intervention, with many of them fearful that their investment into the current crop would be lost.Fears were prevalent that the flooding would have extended to residential lands. These farmers agitated for intervention at the regional level.In cases where replanting might have just begun, any floods would prove detrimental to seedlings that might have been planted.
