Global food security index Tremendous achievement – Mustapha hails Guyana’s top spot

…says PPP/C Govt investments in agri sector bearing fruit

Guyana’s status as the most food secure country in the world, as was recently highlighted by BBC in an analysis of 186 countries, is one that Guyanese should be proud of, according to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who heralded this as a tremendous achievement. According to a recent report from BBC Science Focus, Guyana is the only country in the world that produces all the food it needs without having to rely on imports. Out of seven food groups; fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, plant-based protein and starchy staples, Guyana was found to be the most self-sufficient of all countries. It is a status that according to Mustapha when addressing farmers on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD), Guyanese ought to be proud of as he described it as a tremendous achievement.
“But besides that, they recently did an analysis around the world. In the world we have 194 countries…they did a study on 186 countries. Not us. The BBC did it, a reputable news organisation. And out of the 186 countries, Guyana is the only country that has the ability to feed its own population. That’s a tremendous achievement,” Mustapha said.
According to Mustapha, Guyana’s status as the most food secure country is by no accident. He pointed out that under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, budgetary allocations to the agriculture sector have steadily increased to a record $106 billion this year.
“I’m not blowing our own trumpet. I’m just thanking the farmers because the farmers have been working hard. We have increased budgetary allocation, from $13 billion in 2020 to $106 billion in 2025. That shows our Government’s commitment to develop our country to ensure that Guyana is food secure,” the Minister further said. In the BBC Science Focus article, Guyana was placed ahead of China and Vietnam, when it comes to their ability to produce enough food in the seven food groups. Additionally, six countries- Afghanistan, Iraq, Macao, Qatar, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were not self-sufficient in any category, almost completely reliant on food imports.
Just one in seven of the tested countries were judged self-sufficient in five or more categories. At the same time, there was a global shortfall in nutrient-dense plants, with less than half of countries involved in the study producing enough plant-based protein – such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, nuts and seeds, or starchy carbs, and only 24 per cent growing enough vegetables.
Over the last few years, Guyana has been working to transform its food security efforts, while increasing interventions to provide farmers with more access to local and regional markets for their agricultural produce. Last September, Guyana had reached a major milestone in the fight against hunger, with undernourishment levels falling below 2.5 per cent.
Statistics also show that this figure was significantly lower than the regional average of 6.6 per cent and the global average of 9.1 per cent, which ultimately positions Guyana as a leader in food security across the Caribbean and Latin America.
This year, Guyana’s agriculture was significantly boosted with $104.6 billion allocated in the 2025 National Budget for the industry. An allocation of $430.9 million has been set aside for rice in 2025. This investment will see a number of new initiatives being developed to further increase the country’s production.
To support the cultivation of other crops, $2.9 billion has been budgeted by the Government. These crops include corn and soya, spices, citrus and other high-value crops such as broccoli and cauliflower.
In addition, the coconut industry has been a bolstering force to the agriculture sector, and as such, $116 million has been put aside for this initiative. Moreover, to ensure the easy manufacturing of agricultural products, a sum of $800 million was allocated for the agro-processing industry.
In terms of livestock, the Government has budgeted $1.7 billion to boost the business. Meanwhile, a staggering $1.3 billion will go towards the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. This will see 80 additional brackish water shrimp ponds being constructed in Region Six and 50 more fishing cages installed.