Last Updated on July 30, 2026, 7:44 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Minister of Agriculture Samal Duggins has confirmed that more than 700 farmers have benefited from government assistance during the drought conditions, The government has been making efforts to support local farms in maintaining productivity.
The government has supported the farms around the island through the Drought Resilience Irrigation Project. Under DRIP, the administration has provided farmers with water tanks, drip-irrigation lines and ground cover.
The government created the programme with the aim of providing water tanks to hundreds of farmers. The project ensured that farmers were able to get drip lines to regulate the water supply to their farms.
The administration has also provided farms with ground cover to help with water and weed retention and to withhold moisture in the soil in drought conditions “More than 700 farmers have benefited from these programmes so far.
The Minister of Agriculture has confirmed that this was an intentional approach, to prepare farmers for a time when water would not be as abundant. Through this programme, the Ministry also wants to prepare the farmers to be able to do more with less water, store it in the water tanks, regulate its use through the drip lines and retain some of that moisture in the soil with the ground cover,”
The minister said this assistance programme is being implemented with the support of the Regional Economical Agri-Insurance Programme, or REAP. The REAP programme provides protection against severe drought and hurricane-force winds.
“Earlier this year, in January, we announced that REAP insurance was now in effect. The entire country is insured against hurricane-force winds and severe drought conditions. The government has paid just over one million dollars, and it covers the entire country, which means all of our farmers, by extension, are covered by this programme,” Duggins stated.
Minister Duggins said that the Ministry has made combined investment in irrigation, water storage, farm protection and insurance. The officials have shared that the programme has helped local farmers become prepared to withstand drought and recover more quickly following natural disasters.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
