Agriculture investment for poverty reduction discussed by stakeholders

As part of Agriculture Month 2020, the Agriculture Ministry hosted a webinar themed: “Investing in Agriculture for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development.”
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during his presentation said that with the passage of Budget 2020, Government is now in the position to implement its plans of strengthening the agriculture sector.
“This year, $18.5 billion was allocated to the agriculture sector. This is Government’s investment in the development of livelihoods and necessary public goods for development, such as agricultural research, extension services, climate and price information, drainage and irrigation infrastructure, technical assistance, and farm to markets access roads,” Minister Mustapha is quoted as saying in a release sent out by the Ministry.
He further stated that while Government expenditure is necessary, it cannot finance all the projects necessary for development.
Therefore, Mustapha pointed out that the increased investments through enhanced international cooperation, private investments, both foreign and local, and public-private partnerships are encouraged to increase the coverage of public goods and services, particularly in rural communities.
Another key component to the development of agriculture in Guyana is Government’s continued collaborations with its international partners like the FAO.
FAO Resident Representative in Guyana, Dr Gillian Smith in her presentation, spoke about agri-food systems and the importance of each step of the supply chain, noting that the entire supply chain gives an understanding of how important each step of the chain is.
“Farmers cannot produce without the inputs. Farmers’ produce gets nowhere without the consumers or without the distributors so it is extremely important when we are thinking about agriculture and rural poverty and reducing it. The importance of our agri-food systems is that they don’t just feed us or provide us with a livelihood. They are also connected and incredibly interwoven. With the global agriculture food systems, COVID-19 has shown us how the global agri-food system is extremely vulnerable. It has given us a new understanding of the need for resilience,” Smith said
Expounding on the importance of research and development within the agro-processing sector, General Manager of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Ida Sealey-Adams said that it was time investments be made in this area.
She added that oftentimes, agro-processors simply do not know how to produce a product, and that’s where, she said, the research and development comes in.
The webinar saw participants from the Ministry, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Small Business Bureau (SBB), the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association.