In light of climate change: Farmers must adopt new, innovative ways to cultivate – Min Mustapha

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha is encouraging farmers in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to adopt new and innovative ways to produce their crops so as to combat the negative effects of climate change.
Climate change has resulted in warmer days and more frequent rainfall. With Guyana being below sea level, the impact of continuous rainfall could be devastating to farmers as happened last year when there was a country-wide flood.

In this regard, the Agriculture Minister is encouraging farmers to adapt.
“We are now seeing the real effect of climate change and so, we cannot do things in the same old way and want new results. We have to do things in a smarter way and in a better way and in more innovative and scientific ways and in more modern ways to get better results.”
Hence, the Ministry of Agriculture is promoting agriculture in smarter ways. Mustapha said his Ministry is encouraging farmers to erect greenhouses.
These shade houses, he pointed out, would also be good for “high-value crops” such as carrots, cauliflower and broccoli.
“Since we have resumed Government to now, we have built over 150 shade houses around the country to help farmers to produce their crops in a better way.” Two of them are on the East Bank of Berbice and a third is to be constructed shortly.
The Ministry, he pointed out, is willing to assist any farmer who needs help in constructing a shade house.
Meanwhile, Mustapha noted that university degree holders who are unemployed are being invited to join the Ministry’s shade house programme. Initially 25 shade houses will be built under the programme.
“We are forming a company and these young people will be shareholders. We will help them to plant these high-value crops. We have a ready market in Guyana.”
The Minister noted that for the year 2019, Guyana imported $1.5 billion in those three high-value crops and last year, $2.6 billion.
In addition to that, the Ministry is seeking to have farmers diversify and produce other non-traditional crops – things that will bring benefit to the entire country. Guyana spends about US$60 million annually to import corn, broccoli, carrots, soya, and cauliflower.
He noted that the Government is currently looking at barriers that prevent some local farmers from exporting to Caricom countries.
Already Guyana has started to export pineapples, bananas, avocado and tangerines to Barbados and St Vincent once again.