Agriculture Minister to closely monitor newly-inked $475M contracts

The Agriculture Ministry has signed a slew of contracts worth $475 million for the sector – expected to be monitored closely to ensure timely completion by this yearend.
At the signing ceremony on Friday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha noted that the work programme has been advancing as the year comes to an end, and to ensure that services are delivered to the people, technical officials will be monitoring the execution of these projects.

“We are advancing in our work programme because we’re coming to the end of year. These are major projects that we have to implement to ensure that we complete our work programme but more importantly, deliver services to the people of our country…We will be monitoring these contracts. Our engineers and other technical officers will be monitoring to ensure that you deliver these projects on time and you deliver quality projects,” said Mustapha.
Among the contracts signed on Friday is for the procurement of machinery for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) as Government moves to reopen the estates. Some of these resources will also be used to upgrade existing estates.
“We are reopening or we are advancing the reopening of those estates that were closed prior to 2020. These are important equipment for GuySuCo to get their work going. We had suffered not too long ago with floods and a number of cultivated areas would have suffered severely so we have to have these machines to do works within those operating estates.”
Amid plans to enhance agro-processing, contracts were signed for four agro-processing facilities across rural areas. Recently, the Ministry would have signed Memorandums of Understanding with two private companies to construct similar facilities.
“We want our farmers to go to a different level. We have to tap into markets in the Caribbean because we are driving the agri food system. Agro-processing facilities will be very important for us. We have places like Watooka, Hope, St Ignatius that we are giving services to farmers in those areas,” the Minister added.
The Hydromet Office, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) were the other agencies benefitting from contracts. They will have to wrap up by the end of the year.
“Most of these contracts would have to conclude by the end of the year. Funds are available and I have been meeting with our programme heads to ensure the funds are being expended and ensure that we pay for measured work. We will pay upon delivery but I know that in the procurement law, there are provisions for mobilisation advances. I have instructed that the technical officers meet with these service providers and they work out an arrangement where we can have a smooth operation in the next few months,” Mustapha expressed. (G12)