Agriculture was, remains today and tomorrow, the foundation of Guyana’s economy

By 2014, Guyana had no reason to import broccoli and carrots. Guyana was also ready to begin commercial production of potatoes, onions and garlic. Between 2015 and 2020, the new government’s tsunami-like assault on agriculture led to the resumption of broccoli and carrot importation, and local commercial production of potato, garlic and onion came to a complete standstill.
In 2024, under the inspired leadership of President Irfaan Ali and Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, agriculture is blazing brilliant new trails, with no need to import broccoli and carrots, and positioned again for commercial production of potatoes, onions and garlic and to be a regional powerhouse for production of corn, soya, millet, and red beans.
The Minister of Agriculture, the Honourable Zulfikar Mustapha, this week was not timid in bragging about increased agriculture production, the expansion of agriculture in our country, and improved infrastructure. It was not idle bragging. In fact, the Minister was humble in his boast about the enormous expansion of agriculture and the government’s strategy to consolidate agriculture’s place in the economy today and tomorrow. But, across Guyana, there is quiet confidence that as glorious as agriculture has been in Guyana’s history, agriculture’s greatest glory is being scripted for 2030 and beyond, with Guyana playing a leadership role in the global food security drive.
Oil and Gas have made an impactful presence in Guyana’s economy the last four years, and have been responsible for Guyana achieving the rank of the fastest growing economy in the world for the last four years. Guyana will retain this status for years to come because of oil and gas. But without agriculture, Guyana’s diversified economy would be considerably more fragile.
President Irfaan Ali has established food security as a major plank in Guyana’s present and future development agenda, and as part of Guyana’s presence on the global stage. Minister Mustapha has been chosen as the leader of the agriculture sector. There can be no doubt that together this team has rescued agriculture from the doldrums into which the previous regime had pushed agriculture. President Ali’s 25 X 25 has already impacted food security in CARICOM. Together, President Ali and Minister Mustapha have restructured and reignited the Jagdeo Initiative.
In 2011, Guyana’s rice production averaged just over 250,000 tons. As the new Agriculture Minister, in December 2011, I declared an ambitious target of more than 700,000 tons by 2015 and 1,000,000 tons in 2020. While people dismissed me as crazy, Guyana reached a production of 698,000 tons in 2014. If rice production at Santa Fe in Region 9 and at Moco Moco were included, Guyana had reached the 700,000 tons target one year ahead of schedule. In the first crop of 2015, under President Ramotar’s Government, Guyana had a record single-crop rice production, with close to 400,000 tons under the leadership of Jagnarine Singh, presently at NAREI, and Ricky Ramraj, presently the DG at the Ministry. Yet, Guyana’s production for 2015 fell by almost 100,000 tons.
Under APNU/AFC, agriculture became a victim, and consequently, Guyana’s economy collapsed. When then Minister, Noel Holder told rice farmers to stop drinking beer to afford increased lease rates. He made it clear, as was also articulated by the then president David Granger, that agriculture was the people’s problem, not the Government’s.
In 2024, under Minister Mustapha, Guyana will officially cross the line of 700,000 tons. Under this Government, the 2030 production could exceed 1,000,000 tons.
But the story of rice is only part of agriculture’s transformational story. Guyana has moved from being an importer of soya and corn for the stockfeed industry and poultry and livestock production to where the country has already reduced importation of soya and corn and is expected to totally eliminate importation of corn and soya by 2028. Indeed, CARICOM’s needs for soya and corn are likely to be significantly filled by Guyana by 2030. Imagine moving from importing corn and soya to becoming an exporter! This transformation story is worth telling.
Guyana, in fact this year, has become a producer of millet, one of the most important grain products in the world, and can become the main supplier of millet for both human and livestock nutrition in CARICOM, and even for some South American countries.
As President Ali travels around the country, he works with ordinary citizens to start production of products we usually import. Minister Mustapha has the job of empowering people to become producers of such products. For example, the people of Bara Cara and other communities are already reaping red beans.
But agriculture cannot expand without infrastructure. When Bharrat Jagdeo conceived of the Hope Canal project, people said it was impossible. PNC/APNU and AFC people came to my office demanding we discontinue the dangerous Hope Canal project, arguing it is not engineeringly possible.
Lionel Wordsworth and the young engineers proved PNC/APNU and AFC wrong, and today the Hope Canal is an engineering masterpiece. The Irfaan Ali-led Government is now completing design work for six more of these Hope-like canals, and construction is soon to follow. New highways, such as the Del Conte Road along the Essequibo River past Hubu, the farm road from #59 on the Corentyne, and the Road network from Orealla to Kwakwani are opening up new agriculture lands.
In spite of climate change and the challenges the whole world faces, Guyana is proving it is capable of improving and expanding agriculture. Visionary leaders and competent ministers are ensuring that, long after oil and gas, Guyana’s economy remains strong, because agriculture has been, remains today, and will long into the future be, the foundation. Minister Mustapha is not idly bragging. The food security goal for Guyana and CARICOM places Guyana in a leadership position on the global stage.