EcoStim bio-stimulant to be piloted locally to boost harvests

A pilot of EcoStim bio-stimulant will soon be tested on rice and other crops grown locally, with the intention to increase yields while fortifying the nutritive value of harvested produce.
This project is being undertaken by Excel Guyana as it aims to become a key player in Guyana’s agriculture sector.
EcoStim, a United Kingdom-based company, produces natural bio-stimulants that help plants to achieve greater yields per crop. The bio-stimulants are complex compositions containing a range of organic materials, but possessing no live micro-organisms.
Chief Executive Officer of Excel Guyana, Kris Sammy, shared recently that Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) are engaged on commencing a pilot, after which the product would be introduced to the market.
“We’re very excited to launch that here, and bringing it to Guyana…We will be launching a pilot project for rice and other plants here as part of bringing that to the market here,” Sammy outlined.
Eco-Stim is completely organic, can reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by up to 40 per cent, and increases shelf life of the produce while minimising wastage.
According to Sammy, this is not a fertilizer, but it would enhance the nutrient makeup of the yield.
“If we look at crops like rice, tomatoes, pepper, soybean, the experiences they have had in many countries in Africa, we have seen yields of 30 to 35 per cent. What this particular bio-stimulant does is it reduces the need for fertilizers and increases the strength of the plant itself. Not only does it increase the strength of the plant, it also increases the nutrient of the product itself.”
The CEO also pointed out that this initiative is one of several being undertaken in keeping with the company’s intention of supporting Caricom’s vision of slashing the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
Excel Guyana has been consulting with companies in the Caricom region for more than three decades. With more than 10 years of local presence, it has established business and supply chain networks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Mexico, the United States of America, and Venezuela.
Another partnership has been forged with Latitude SAT2FARM, using satellite-based precision to analyse crop conditions, weather patterns, and assist with decision-making.
“What this does is it augers and plays very well into the agriculture sector, which is a tremendous initiative by our President in reducing Guyana’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025. We’re looking at what do we need to do today to help our Government with their initiative,” the CEO shared.
Vision 25 by 2025 was conceptualised by President Irfaan Ali for a 25 per cent reduction in the Caricom food import bill by the year 2025. As at 2022, the Region achieved 57 per cent of the production target towards reducing the food import bill. Over the next two years, more than 1.4 metric tonnes of commodities must be produced to achieve this target.