By Jaime Hall
Guyana Chronicle
May 23, 2001

MINISTER of Local Government, Mr. Harripersaud Nokta has expressed concern about recent media reports on an apparent food crisis in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) following the destruction of farm crops.

It was earlier reported that the culprits were Labba (Agouti paca) or "Labba Rats", the latter not familiar to many.

The Labba is, however, as its succulent meat is a known Guyanese delicacy.

The red/brown, white-spotted animal from the rodent family is also considered a pest in farming areas as it feeds on foods such as tuber, cassava, avocado and mangoes and is commonly found near water and dense thickets and open forests.

But based on what Nokta reported yesterday, it seems as though the attackers were rats and not Labba nor "Labba Rats", the last of which does not appear to exist.

Nokta made the clarification at a media briefing at his ministry in Kingston, Georgetown, claiming "there was a great deal of misleading information in the press so far on the reasons for the shortage of food in Region Eight villages."

Nokta, who shared the briefing with Region Eight Chairman, Mr. Senor Bell and Regional Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Ramotar, said there is no crisis situation in the area, but "we are not ruling out that there are needs in the Pakaraimas."

"The government is concerned and whatever assistance is necessary we would like to request that.

"But that would not be done until a thorough assessment is done by regional officials," he explained.

A press statement by the Guyana Information Services on May 16 said that "it has been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs that `Labba Rats' were destroying food crops, including cassava, in the villages of Kurukabaru, Kato, Paramakatoi and Kopinang."

It said an Inter- Ministry Committee, headed by the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues, was set up to ascertain the extent of the damage done by "Labba Rats" to farms in Region Eight communities.

Permanent Secretary within the Local Government Ministry, Mr. Phulander Kandhi had also said that the problem was reported to the Ministry of Local Government.

He told the Chronicle that a report on how Amerindian farming communities there have been affected was due to be submitted on Wednesday, May 16 and based on the findings, the government would have addressed the problem.

But Nokta yesterday said that a correspondence addressed by the St Joseph Catholic Mission was sent to the ministry on Tuesday last week, stating among other things that the people of Kurukabaru and some neighbouring villages are in short supply of food.

The shortage was due to extensive damage caused by "Labba Rats" eating the cassava and causing it to rot, it said.

The correspondence, Nokta said, was seeking the government's intervention to assist with a supply of food for the Amerindian communities affected in the region.

"The committee, headed by the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, was set up to ascertain the true position on the matter.

"But by the time we could have gotten the true position, we noticed that the press was giving so much publicity and it seems that this may have been blown out of proportion", Nokta said.

"We want to say that there is no crisis situation concerning this information that we have received," he added.

However, in view of the long dry spell in mountainous areas where lands become extremely dry because of the high altitude, many farms suffered from the drought and the crops were destroyed, Nokta explained.

"Maybe there are some cases of these rodents attacking and this may have compounded the situation", he added.

Regional officials are to do a proper assessment of the damage to farms and needs of the communities, he said.