“They said that was impossible” – Berbice man on dream of planting grapes in Guyana

… exploring more exotic fruits

By Andrew Carmichael

As a child, Devon Gilead was so in love with apples and grapes that his ambition was to go to the United States to work on farms planting these fruits, or to have his own vineyard. However, as he got older, this ambition did not materialise, even though the dream was still there, although it was rapidly fading. Reluctant to give up on his childhood dreams, Gilead decided to look at alternatives.

“About six years ago, one night I sat down and studied this thing, ‘why apples and grapes can’t grow in Guyana?’.  So, I asked some staff from NAREI [National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute] if grapes can bear here in Guyana, and they said, ‘No, grapes need curtain chilling hours to bear, and the climate has to be cold’. But I did some research…,” the 41-year-old told Guyana Times.
He said grapes are being cultivated in Kenya. “Both apples and grapes are growing there, and they don’t have snow there.”
On a mission to prove that the fruits can be cultivated locally, Gilead researched the soil pH needed for the cultivation of the fruits, and upon testing the pH in his yard, he discovered that his yard was perfect for cultivating the fruits. After ordering grape cuttings and purchasing strawberry plants, Gilead set out on his mission.
He had some success with the strawberries, and he invited NAREI staff to visit his yard, where he was cultivating strawberries and grapes.
“She said the grapes can’t bear because grapes need certain chilling hours. It is impossible for it to bear,” he told this publication as he walked though his flourishing grapevines at his New Glasgow Housing Scheme home in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Six months later, the vines started to blossom, and when the grapes were ripe, Gilead contacted NAREI and informed them that his grapevines were bearing.
“They said that was impossible,” Gilead recalled, adding that he promised to give the staff $10,000 each if they found that he was not being truthful.
“They checked to see if I bought grapes from the market and tied them onto the vine. They asked me how I got them to bear,” he recalled.
Gilead currently has four different types of grapes in his yard: Moon drop grapes, which grow to almost three inches in length; Jupiter grapes, which is a cross between the Muscat and Concord grapes; Vanessa Wine grapes and the Veriko grapes. However, only the Jupiter vine is currently bearing.

Challenges
“For the first, it was very challenging, because grapes need sandy soil,” Gilead told this publication. He explained that in order to combat those initial challenges, he had to excavate about four feet of the earth in his backyard and replace it with a mixture of sand and compost.
“Grapes need sandy soil, and we have clay here,” Gilead said. He pointed out that, at the same time, he also had to ensure that he maintained the right pH.
He started with four grapevines, and then ordered different varieties. “What happened was that by the time the stems reached to this country, they were dried up. So, I had to keep investing and investing before I could have gotten it right,” he said.
Gilead explained that he has invested millions of dollars in his grapevine project. He said he purchased in excess of 1000 plants, but only 230 survived.

Expanding
Gilead has set his sights on expanding his project, and wants to be Guyana’s main supplier of grapes. The project would see him providing employment for several persons, but he plans to provide employment for a vulnerable group.
“I plan to employ single parents. They would have to know (how) to take off certain leaves from the vines. I know women have a lot of patience when it comes to plants, and grapes need a lot of attention, so I think the fittest persons to employ are women; they would do a wonderful job in the vineyard,” he explained.
Not only does Gilead intend to produce table grapes, but he also wants to produce wine grapes. Apart from wine, grape juice would also be a part of the project.
“You can also make jelly, and the seed you can make grape seed oil; that is good to nourish your skin and hair. The leaves have a lot of medical benefits. They are rich in calcium and potassium…so you can make tea bags with the leaves also,” he disclosed.
The grape leaves, he added, can also be cooked. “Every part of the vine is used for something,” he declared.
Gilead has said he wants to make his vineyard a tourist site, allowing people to visit and see some of the different varieties of grapes. There are some 200 varieties of grapes worldwide.
He also hopes to be able to extend his project to allow schools to visit, and provide training for children who have future plans of having their own vineyards.
The budding entrepreneur has been promised 7.1 acres of land by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, and Gilead currently has 230 plants for the project. According to him, 640 plants can be cultivated on a one-acre plot. The cost for one of the stems is US$80, which is about Gy$18,000.
“I will set the 230 plants, and when they are one year old, I can cut the stem and set it. From the 230, I should get about 50 cuttings from each, so I should have over 11,000 plants. That should be able to plant a few acres,” Gilead explained.
Otherwise, it would cost in excess of $80M for the plants he needs to cultivate the 7.1 acres.

Exotic plants
Gilead has also invested in other exotic plants. These include apples, which he always wanted to plant since his boyhood days, and kiwi.
He explained that kiwi is expected to take eight years to bear, but he believes that his kiwi plants would bear in about three years’ time.
This, he said, is because the plants would be exposed to favourable weather all year round.
“We don’t have snow in Guyana, just rain and sun; so, we have a greater advantage than the cold countries,” he said.
Although Gilead already has apple trees, he also has hundreds of seedlings. Those, he said, would be planted on the outskirts of this 7.1-acre vineyard.
The experimentalist also has granadilla vines growing in his yard. The fruit belongs to the passionfruit family.