Caricom’s agri goals: Attention on Guyana – Mustapha calls on farmers to up production

All attention is on Guyana to provide leadership and the input to drive Caricom’s food agenda, resulting in an even greater push by Government to increase in production.
This was the position taken by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha during a community meeting in Wakenaam, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).
From the National Budget, $97.6 billion has been allocated to the Agriculture Ministry where significant monies will be injected into supporting farmers, introduce new crops and building out the infrastructure to enable easier transport and manoeuvrability in the sector.
Such is the case as some $850 million has been allocated for free fertilisers to farmers. Last year, $1 billion was set aside for assistance in light of the Ukraine-Russia war and it is an incentive which will continue, Mustapha disclosed.

The minister stressed, “We’re doing this to improve the agriculture sector. We want more production. We want Guyana to be a food hub. We want Guyana to be the chief producing country in food. The entire Caricom now is looking forward to Guyana for that leadership. I want to tell you that when we got into Government in 2020, the first Caricom Heads of Government meeting, Guyana rescued the position once again and today, Guyana is leading agriculture in the Caribbean.”
Since taking back the mantle of agriculture in Caricom, there has been a renewed interest in the sector across the region. At the same time, Guyana is supporting its sister countries in expanding their economies beyond just niche sectors.
Just last week, a team from St Lucia was in Guyana to gain insight on the projects executed here.
“Places like Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Eastern Caribbean countries are looking to Guyana. For example, in Barbados, we’re helping them to build their shade house programme. They are now constructing ponds to do brackish water shrimps. And their economy was built on tourism. Trinidad and Tobago, whose economy was built on oil and gas and tourism, we are now helping them to resuscitate their rice industry.”

Overall, the Agriculture Ministry has been constantly working on better its results and increasing yields in crops such as rice, which is now fortified with zinc.
“Gone are the days when we used to get four or five tonnes in a hectare of rice. We want to increase that to seven and nine tonnes. We want to move up and ensure that we have high yielding varieties of rice. This year, we will have better yields because we have a better variety,” said Mustapha.
While traditional areas are being expanded, high-value non-traditional crops are being explored. In 2021, $2.6 billion of high value crops were imported, ranging from broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce for the hospitality industry. Today, 50 percent of this demand is being met by local produce.
In 2023, all subsectors either surpassed or exceeded targets. Sugar production grew from 47,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes in 2023. This year, the target is set at 100,000 tonnes.
In attending to the needs of the sector, the Minister shared that Government is committed on keeping its word in ensuring that farmers can perform efficiently without setbacks. Amid concerns that there was need for a new excavator on the island, one was handed over to the tune of $41 million to assist with drainage and irrigation.
Moreover, he signalled that serious attention must be placed on building reservoirs for fresh water on Wakenaam and Leguan Islands. A team from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) will also work with rice farmers while planting farmers will be supported by a team from Georgetown to assess losses facing them. A new sluice will also be built on the island while farmers will also benefit from tools and equipment. (G12)