Agri Ministry funds upgrades to President’s College farm

President’s College having written to the Ministry of Agriculture, requesting help to restore its Agricultural Science Department, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, in response on Thursday, donated over 400 broiler chicks and starter feed amounting to some $310,000 to assist students with completing the farm management aspect of their School-Based Assessment (SBA).

Last year, the school’s headteacher wrote to the Minister, requesting urgent help with restoring the school’s Agriculture Science Department as the students prepared for their CSEC and CAPE exams. Her request for help is what prompted the Minister’s donation.
Handing over of this assistance was done at the Ministry’s Head Office on Regent Street, Georgetown, where Mustapha said the Ministry has already embarked on several other projects aimed at improving the school’s farm, which is managed by the students in the Agriculture Science Department.

“In addition to these chicks that you are receiving today, the Ministry is also in the process of rehabilitating the school’s entire farm, so that students have the necessary resources and facilities to fully prepare for their exams. I hope that we will be able to replicate this initiative across the country at different schools, because it is important for us to start the process in the school system, to ensure our students are well prepared for the professional agricultural field. Guyana’s average pass rate for agriculture at the last sitting of CSEC was about 95%. This shows that our students are very passionate about agriculture; so, as a Government, we have to ensure that both their theoretical and practical knowledge (is) strengthened. This is the only way they will be able to have an all-around and comprehensive understanding of the industry,” Mustapha said.
The Minister has said that Guyana is tasked with driving the agriculture agenda in Caricom, and President Dr Irfaan Ali is spearheading the Caricom agri-food systems agenda. He voiced that it was important for the Government to facilitate the development of a strong agriculture sector locally.

“We wrote a letter pleading our cause, and I want to thank the Minister for his timely response. Almost immediately after sending the email, we received a response, so I can say to the country at large that you have a vision and you want that vision to be accomplished. Just like you, we are passionate about having that vision accomplished too. We are very grateful, Honorable Minister, that you reached out to us. We are enthusiastic, we are synergised that we must keep the hope of agriculture. We are no longer looking back. We are very optimistic about the future,” President’s College’s Headteacher (acting) Samantha Success said while expressing gratitude to the Minister for the donation.
Under the Ministry’s Rural Agriculture Infrastructure Development (RAID) Project, the Ministry has since completed the construction of a shade house and a timber bridge at the school’s farm, as well as upgrades to the farm access road. A cattle perimeter fence will also be constructed at the farm to assist with the rearing of livestock, and there will be the establishment of a one-acre passion fruit plot. Coconut seedlings will also be planted at the farm.
Additional support will also be given to the department through the RAID Project, which will see the construction of a poultry and vegetable processing facility. The facility, which is currently under construction, is expected to be completed by May 2022 at a cost of $15 million. An additional 25 bags of grower feed and 10 bags of finisher feed would also be handed over to the school when the birds have matured.
Last month, President Ali launched the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme, which forms part of the Government’s vision for empowering youths while further developing Guyana’s agriculture sector. This programme, in its first phase, is expected to see the construction of twenty-five shade houses, which would be used to cultivate high-value crops such as carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
The programme targets both current and past students of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), the University of Guyana (UG), and other budding agriculture entrepreneurs. (G2)