Agri Forum & Expo: “Important event for the future of agriculture” – Mustapha

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Tuesday conducted a site visit at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) where preparations are in full swing for the upcoming Agri Investment Forum and Expo – which he has hailed as a critical affair for the future of agriculture not just in Guyana but the entire Caribbean Region.
The Agri Investment Forum and Expo is billed for October 20 to 22, and it is the second such event to be held in Guyana.
So far, 150 exhibitors and some 100 agro processors, including 30 from overseas territories, have confirmed their participation in the event. Also participating are a number of Heads of Government from countries within the Region.
During a meeting with the event’s planning committee, also on Tuesday, the Agriculture Minister emphasised that, “as the host and the lead country for agriculture in the Region, Guyana is demonstrating its unwavering commitment to the development and modernisation of the sector while realising its potential of once again becoming the bread basket of Caricom.”
He also expressed that the event will present opportunities to heighten awareness of the ongoing positive transformation of Caricom’s agri-food system and the 25 by 2025 initiative.
According to Minister Mustapha, this event is important for the future of agriculture in the Caribbean. In fact, he highlighted some of the benefits that have already been reaped from last year’s inaugural Agri Forum and Expo.

“This event is important to the future of agriculture on various fronts including growing the participation of young people in the sector and last year we would have seen the result, a number of investors have already start to invest in various countries in Caricom…I am hoping that during the Agri Investment Expo, we will commission the first, largest hydroponics farm in the Caribbean, right here in Guyana,” he revealed.

Hydroponics/Israel
The project, which is as a result of last year’s Agri Forum and Expo, is being undertaken by Israeli company, KARLICO Inc to the tune of US$15.7 million. In December 2022, the Agriculture Ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the firm, making way for the development of a massive hydroponics project.
It was reported that the project would involve a three-phase hydroponic production system based on nutrient film techniques and soilless production systems designed for producing fresh herbs, lettuce and other leafy vegetables, and other high-value crops.
The first phase of the project, expected to be completed three months after the necessary groundwork has been completed, would see the company setting up a 2000-square-metre, state-of-the-art hydroponic system which would include a cold room, packaging facilities, harvesting equipment, irrigation controllers, fertiliser mixers, water recycling system, and emergency water storage, among other things.
Phase Two would see the construction and installation of an advanced greenhouse system, while Phase Three would involve the construction of a regional distribution centre where a variety of agricultural and food products would be collected, processed, packaged, and delivered to both local and international markets, meeting all of the necessary USDA and European Food Safety Authority standards and regulations.

Honey/Cuba
Meanwhile, Minister Mustapha said at this year’s Agri Expo, Guyana is expected to sign a number of Memorandums of Understanding on agricultural cooperation with several countries.
One such country could be Cuba. Guyana is looking to Cuba to help with the expansion with its honey production.
“As it stands now, Guyana is producing honey but on a small scale…,” the Minister outlined.
“We have some specialists in Cuba that would help us start our aviary in Guyana. We have already identified two regions, Regions Nine and One and we are hoping to go largescale honey production,” Mustapha said.
He expressed that this move to boost local honey production is timely, considering that Trinidad and Tobago is actively embarking on steps to remove barriers to trade to certain products, such as honey.
The Guyanese private sector has for years been lamenting about the various trade barriers in place by Trinidad, which serve to block Guyanese exports to that market, and which are not being adequately addressed by the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom’s) Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
Currently, Trinidad and Tobago’s honey and bee products are guided by the country’s archaic Food and Drug Act of 1960 and Beekeeping and Bee Products Act of 1935. According to the Beekeeping and Bee Products Act, only honey from the Windward and Leeward Islands can be transhipped to the twin-island Republic – something which Caricom Member States Guyana and Grenada have long been arguing goes against the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
However, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Conrad Enil recently disclosed that, “The legislation to deal with the honey issue is now before the Parliament, so that issue should be dealt with before the end of this year.”
Reports indicate that in 2022, Guyana produced over 3700 gallons of honey. (G11)