Govt commissions 2 new agro-processing facilities in Region 1

The government has commissioned two new agro-processing facilities in Region One (Barima-Waini), as part of its efforts to ensure that Guyana produces more value-added products on a national scale.
The commissioning was done by Agriculture Ministry, Zulfikar Mustapha and his team on Wednesday.

One of the agro-processing facilities is at Kumaka, Region One and it comes equipped with machinery able to boost productivity.
According to the ministry, the facility serves the two-fold function of increasing production and reducing the time taken to process and add value to the crops. These crops are expected to include plantains and ground provisions produce being grown at Smith Creek, Region One.
“Minister Mustapha encouraged the agro-processors and other groups to utilize the facility to its capacity and ensure they put efforts to maintain it while keeping it productive. Minister commended the farmers and processors for the excellent work they are doing in the Region,” the ministry said.
The second facility to be commissioned was the White Water Agro-processing facility in Region One. During the ceremony, Minister Mustapha encouraged the women’s group to utilize the facility to its capacity and ensure they put efforts to maintain the facility so that it remains productive in the future.
A number of agro-processing facilities came onstream in Guyana last year, in furtherance of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s push to increase food production in Guyana and the Caribbean Region as a whole.
Such facilities have been established in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Nine, and 10. Over 2500 farmers, agro-processors, wholesalers and retailers now have access to certified agro-processing facilities in their regions.
In September 2023, a $23.3 million state-of-the-art agro-processing facility at Charity, Essequibo Coast, was commissioned and expected to benefit over 300 persons including women and youths.
And last year, it had been announced that 250 households in White Water Creek, North West District (NWD) and surrounding villages would be benefitting from a spanking new $25 million agro-processing facility.
It had been announced that when the facility becomes operational, farmers will be able to advance their operations to a more commercialised value-added production and achieve sustainable economic growth through agro-processing. This will ensure that products, including cassava bread, farine, and cassareep will have easier access to markets.
In November 2022, a $15 million agro-processing factory was opened in St Ignatius, Region Nine, for farmers to process their peanuts and cashew nuts. Due to the large expenditures made in these sectors, the export revenue from agriculture-processed goods brought in $897 million for the nation, with a 61 per cent rise in export volume from 1071 metric tonnes in 2021 to 1724 metric tonnes in 2022. (G3)