$402M tissue culture lab to be operational by March – Mustapha reassures

A state-of-the-art tissue culture lab at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD) valued at $402.5 million is set to become operational within the first quarter of 2025, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha reassures.
Tissue culture, a cutting-edge technique in agriculture, enables the growth of plant cells, tissues, or even entire plants in a controlled, sterile environment. This method facilitates the rapid multiplication of genetically uniform plants, enhances disease resistance, and ensures superior quality.
During his end-of-year press conference late last year, Mustapha explained that the country cannot currently achieve such yields through its existing nurseries.
“We are hoping that this building will be operational by the first quarter of 2025. Now, when this is completed, it will have the capacity to produce millions of planting materials, or plantlets, as you call it. As it stands now, we are producing just below 15,000 plantlets annually because we have nurseries across the country—approximately 11 nurseries—but they can’t produce at this level.”
It is envisioned that the lab will produce a variety of crops that the country traditionally imports.

“This lab will be a game changer for Guyana because it will produce several crops that we want, such as pineapple, plantain, breadfruit, sweet potato, coconut, blackberries, and other products, even cane plants. It will also enable, for the first time, large-scale cultivation of crops like cassava, citrus, cut flowers, roses, ginger, turmeric, strawberries, and raspberries—crops that we normally import.”
These crops will also be free from pests and diseases that crops are usually susceptible to when being planted outdoors.
“And also, these planting materials will be produced without pests or diseases. Normally, these materials attract such issues, but this will help us diversify Guyana’s agricultural output,” the Minister stated.
The Minister also highlighted how the lab will be a significant contributor to reducing Guyana’s food import bill.

“This will help us reduce our food import bill with the type of planting material we’ll be producing at the tissue culture lab. This will also help us diversify Guyana’s agricultural output and support the growing demand for both local and export markets.
He added, “With the leadership being extended by Guyana in agriculture, we have seen several countries looking to us to help develop their agricultural sectors. As the President has said, we are not just building these facilities for Guyana, but also for regional countries, which will benefit from them.”
The construction of the tissue culture laboratory is part of the Sustainable Agricultural Development Project (SADP), funded through a US$15 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).