Farmers Connect app launched to drive data, market access for agriculture sector

Guyana’s agriculture sector took a major digital step forward on Wednesday with the launch of the Farmers Connect mobile application designed to place real-time market prices, weather forecasts, soil data and pest diagnostics directly into the hands of farmers across the country. Delivering the keynote address, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha spoke about the significance of this development, encouraging all stakeholders to get on board with the Government’s digital agenda. He said the initiative represents a defining moment in the modernisation of the sector and fulfils a commitment made by President Dr Irfan Ali to digitise agriculture under the Government’s broader Digital Guyana agenda. “The official launch of the Farmers Connect app marks a defining moment in Guyana’s agricultural transformation,” Mustapha said. “Digital platforms are not convenience; they are strategic infrastructure.” The application is designed to close long-standing gaps in information, communication and market access that farmers have traditionally faced. Through the app, users will be able to access up-to-date market prices, receive climate and tide information, view regional soil maps, report flooding and drainage issues and connect directly with buyers, agro-processors and exporters. Farmers will also be able to utilise an artificial intelligence (AI) feature that allows them to photograph diseased crops and receive immediate recommendations for treatment – a process that previously required laboratory testing and consultation with extension officers. “For too long, farmers have faced challenges accessing real-time pricing, receiving timely advisory services and connecting efficiently with buyers,” the Minister said. “This app will change that.” The platform complements the Agriculture Information System launched in 2024, which strengthened internal coordination within the Ministry of Agriculture. Unlike that system, the Farmers Connect app is farmer-facing and integrates a centralised national farmers’ database built over recent years. Mustapha emphasised that agriculture remains a critical pillar of Guyana’s development, even as the country continues to earn significant revenues from oil and gas production. “Today our country is an oil and gas producer,” he noted, “but as a Government with a vision, we recognise the importance of agriculture, to our country’s development.” He pointed out that Guyana is currently the only country among 186 surveyed globally with the capacity to feed itself across all seven major food groups, including meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, dairy, plant-based proteins and staple crops such as rice and corn.

The Minister also linked the initiative to CARICOM’s regional agenda to reduce the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030, noting that Guyana’s success is central to achieving that target. “For CARICOM to be successful, Guyana has to be successful,” he said, adding that regional states are increasingly looking to Guyana for leadership in food production. During his address, Mustapha highlighted several parallel initiatives aimed at transforming the sector, including the introduction of a rice farmers’ insurance product, the first of its kind in the Caribbean, with approximately 85 per cent of rice farmers already enrolled. He also referenced the recently commissioned Tissue Culture Laboratory at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), which is now producing more than one million disease-resistant planting materials each year. The Minister acknowledged that some farmers may initially hesitate to adopt digital tools but urged them to embrace the platform. “In Guyana, our farming population have a stigma that when you bring these kinds of facilities to them, many will say, ‘I can’t manage it.’ But we have to change our mindset,” he said. Agriculture officers were present at the launch to assist farmers in downloading and installing the application. With more than 250 extension officers operating nationwide, Mustapha said the platform will also enhance accountability and responsiveness within the Ministry’s services. “We are now bridging policies with production,” he stated. “We are empowering you, the farmers.” The Minister encouraged farmers to use the app consistently, report challenges and take advantage of training and market opportunities available through the system. “Today, we are not just launching this application,” Mustapha said. “We are strengthening connections. We are modernising agriculture and we are expanding opportunities. We are advancing Guyana.”