Bonasika Creek shade house to enhance farming and productivity with newer crops

By Michel Outridge

FORTY-five-year-old told Latchman Mangal is a cash crop and citrus farmer who would sell his produce in the community and also at Hubu Koker.

Mangal explained that he came to live in Lower Bonasika Creek with his parents when he was just one year old and the family used to reside in Wales, West Bank Demerara.

The farmer added that he grew up in the riverine community and became a farmer because he didn’t want to work with people, so he is utilising his land to farm and earn.

Mangal reported that at times when the harvest is plentiful and he needs an extra pair of hands, he would employ a worker since it is a 10-acre plot of cultivation, but mostly he would handle the farming himself.

He pointed out that his father was also a farmer and that’s the only thing he knows to do to earn, but he passed away 28 years ago while his mother is still alive and is 75 years old, and she is living with him.

Mangal reported that as a farmer whose livelihood depends on farming,he is often devastated whenever wild animals destroy his crops.

The farmer has since petitioned for a licensed firearm but has had no response from the authorities to date.

“In terms of thieves coming here to rob you, it is safe. This is a creek and a lot of people who don’t live around here don’t come, but we do have a few ‘bad apples’ among us, who engage in some unsavoury things to disturb our peace of mind,” he said.

The resident of Lower Bonasika pointed out that villagers would consume alcohol all night and paddle in small boats via the creek.

He reported that it is a dangerous thing because if they have an emergency, they will not be able to use the waterway to get out without encountering disaster due to the absence of light.

Another issue highlighted is the wanton dumping of waste woods by sawmillers into the Essequibo River, which ends up in the creek and obstructs the boat’s engines and can cause the boats to capsize, a threat to lives and limbs.

The farmer related that there is also a need for the Police Outpost to be upgraded since it is in a state of disrepair and unfit for the accommodation of ranks stationed there.

The local of Bonasika also raised his concerns about shop owners and other people dumping refuse into the creek, an environmental hazard.

Bonasika Farmer’s Group

Mangal is the Vice Chairman of the Bonasika Farm- er’s Group, which has about 130 members and that body was recently registered even though it was established in 2021.

He reported that following their registration as a group they have seen a vast decrease in membership and only about 12 members remain.

Mangal told the Pepperpot Magazine that their last meeting was held on April 26, 2023, and their immediate need to promote farming are two double-drive tractors to prepare the lands for crops and two excavators for land clearing.

He stated that about a year ago they were gifted a shade house to develop newer crops from NAREI;however, he hasn’t been getting the support from local farm- ers to enhance the shade house.

Mangal disclosed that he and two other farmers will be embarking on a project soon and will be trying crops of ginger and celery first.

To enroll as a member of the group, a fee of $2,000 must be paid in full and there is a monthly subscription of $500 and once the shade house takes off, the group will receive a percentage of the profit.

“I am very grateful for the assistance from government via their cash grants following the flood and it was useful to help us get back on our feet to re-group and re-plant our crops since we lost our entire crops to floodwaters,” he said.