Govt allocates $2B for infrastructure in Upper Corentyne to boost agri on 30,000 acres

The Government in an effort to reaffirm its support to bolster development in the Upper Corentyne area in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) has allocated a whopping $2billion in infrastructure to boost agricultural output within the region.
Farmers from the Upper Corentyne area in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) will soon commence several agricultural projects to bring all available land into productive use, further boosting the region’s production. Approximately 30,000 acres of land including privately held areas near Moleson Creek in Upper Corentyne were earmarked for infrastructural development for agriculture-related activities.
The committee which aims to optimise the use of available land and ensure that agricultural activities commence without delay was on Saturday officially formed by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during a meeting with farmers within the area.
The committee comprises representatives from Co-ops and private cane farmers in the Upper Corentyne area. During the engagement, Minister Mustapha disclosed that the private cane farmers had approximately 10,000 acres of land while the various Co-ops from the area had varying amounts, totaling approximately 30,000 acres.
“Some farmers indicate that they want to go back to cane, some farmers indicated that they want to start planting corn, while some are looking at the other crop that we want to start, like hemp. So, we want to start work as soon as possible. This project is long in the making so I am looking to start from the Upper Corentyne side, Molsen Creek end coming down. Some of the farmers wanted to start back growing cane because, you know, we started to do cane cultivation once again at Skeldon. This year, we will plant 1,500 hectares. By next year we’re looking to plant up to 5,000 hectares, but we have to start the programme”
Three private cane farmers along with representatives of co-ops from El Dorado, Landless, Leeds Pioneer, Baba Grant, Friendly Farmers, Babylon, Hunter’s Scheme, and Johannesburg were appointed to serve on the committee. Senior officers from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) will also have roles in the committee.
The committee will be chaired by the Ministry’s Director General, Madanlall Ramraj. Mustapha also established another committee to oversee the operation of various pumps in the region. This committee will be chaired by Regional Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain, and comprises representatives from the Water Users Associations (WUA), the NDIA, the GRDB, and local farmers.
Meanwhile, last October during a meeting with farmers, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo alongside Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha engaged with several farms from Upper Corentyne to discuss the Government’s ambitious plan to transform 40,000 acres of land into productive farmland.
Vice President Jagdeo announced that these lands, including privately held areas near Moleson Creek in Upper Corentyne, will benefit from a $2 billion investment in infrastructure to boost agricultural output.
While addressing the gathering of farmers, representatives, and stakeholders, Jagdeo outlined a strategy to utilise 25,000 acres of GuySuCo land at Skeldon for projects such as shrimp farming, hemp cultivation, and sugarcane. He highlighted that former workers would be given opportunities for ownership in these ventures. Moreover, Jagdeo also revealed that the Government is considering implementing new sugarcane varieties that could potentially double current yields. The administration is also exploring the cultivation of onions using a high-yield hybrid variety.