$919M worth of non-traditional crops exported so far this year

…represents 12.7% increase compared to 2023

The Government’s investments in the agricultural sector, particularly in non-traditional crops, has resulted in the country earning as much as $919 million from exports to regional and international markets.
This represents a 12.7 per cent increase in food export sales when compared profit made for the same period in 2023.
According to statistics provided by the Agriculture Ministry, legume, peanuts, coconut, ground provision, and vegetables were among some of the produce exported so far this year, amounting to 4,156 metric tonnes of food worth $919 million.
President Dr Irfaan Ali said that the increase in agricultural exports is a result of strategic investments made by his Government coupled with a comprehensive approach towards boosting the promotion of climate resilient farming.
The Head of State, who was at the time speaking at the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) Annual Awards on Tuesday, disclosed that at this rate Guyana is expected to save over US$60 million on the importation of the three key commodities alone by 2027.
These commodities are corn, soya beans and shrimp.
“This sector has enormous potential to create entrepreneurs, create businesses that are competitive and profitable, businesses that are dynamic, innovative and resilient… For example, in the swamp shrimp industry, we are now producing seven and 800 hundred percent more swamp shrimp than we were producing a year and a half ago… and as we build out the aquaculture, the prawns’ production and all of this packaging and processing becomes an important part of what we are doing,” the Head of State said.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the increase in exports demonstrates the growing strength and diversity of Guyana’s agriculture sector.
On this point, he posited that new doors for economic opportunities will open up as Guyana gains more global recognition for its strides in large-scale production of food.
“By increasing our exports, we are not just generating foreign currency we are building Guyana’s brand as a reliable supplier of high-quality value-added food products. This paves the way for even greater economic prosperity and position us as a leader in the Caribbean and the Caribbean agro- processing industry… Let us continue to invest in research and development in building capacity and forge strong partnerships. Together let us ensure that Guyana’s agricultural bounty becomes a cornerstone of a striving, sustainable and inclusive future for all Guyanese,” the minister noted.
Guyana is well on its way to being a major food exporter for CARICOM and countries in Latin America, as the production of food continues to increase.
In fact, legume production for 2024 increased by 106 per cent, peanuts increased by 286 per cent, coconut production saw an increase of 55 per cent, while ground provision and vegetables increase by an average of 218 per cent.
Additionally, Guyana intends to produce more than 60 percent of its need for onion, corn, soya, black-eyed peas and red beans in order save the country more than US$150 million annually in foreign exchange.
Further, in 2023, the sugar industry grew by 28 per cent while it declined by 11.8 per cent in 2019. Rice expanded by seven per cent while there was a mere one per cent increase in 2019. The other crops sector grew by 4.1 per cent in 2023, while there was a meagre growth of 0.3 per cent in 2019.
Meanwhile, the livestock industry increased by 12.7 per cent in 2023 while 2019 recorded a decline of 3.5 per cent while the fishing industry increased by 37.8 per cent and 25 per cent in the aquaculture sector. (G1)