Guyana can achieve SDGs 2030 with clear vision – Min Mustapha

…Guyana to tackle food waste, food security

With a clear vision and implemented policies, Guyana can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 that were outlined by the United Nations General Assembly for a sustainable future.
These were the sentiments of Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during a national high-level dialogue in preparation for the UN Food Systems Summit on Tuesday.

“We have a history of recognising challenges and addressing those challenges…To overcome these challenges and achieve inclusive and sustainable growth and prosperity in Guyana, we must have a clear vision for Guyana’s food system and actionable solution that will lead us along a sustainable development pathway by 2030,” the Minister underscored.
He pointed out that significant improvement has been made in achieving the SDGs – a reflection in the improvement of livelihoods and reducing the poverty rate every year.
“We have reduced the number of persons living in extreme income poverty to less than three percent of the national population. GDP per capita has risen more than 1300 per cent over the last 30 years and increased income of the country and its people have generally resulted in improvements across most of the SDGs. Guyana still has many challenges in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The challenges are many but solutions are also within our reach.”
Guyana is the third largest agricultural economy in the Caribbean, and a large percentage of produce generated in the country is not consumed. Minister Mustapha explained that actions will be taken to reduce this by implementing new policies and technology to reduce food loss. With the establishment of the Guyana Food Safety Authority, food safety will also be addressed.

“With regards to access to safe and nutritious food for all, one of the main challenges that Guyana faces is food waste and loss. Estimates indicate that 20 per cent of cassava, 32 per cent of tomatoes and 30 per cent of all fruits and vegetables produced in the country are not consumed. We will seek to reduce and form a post-harvest food waste and loss by promoting the adaptation of harvesting, post-harvest and storage technologies that reduce food loss,” he noted.
Government, he said, has committed to address the challenges regarding unemployment rate, gender inequality and unequal access to resources. But COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of food production and distribution systems, especially to the most vulnerable and rural population. It has also impacted livelihoods indirectly in the sector.
Meanwhile, Chief Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Dr Maximo Torero indicated that the world is not on track to achieve food security and nutrition targets. More than three billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. This is since a healthy diet is 60 per cent more expensive than a nutrient sufficient diet. In 2019, two billion did not have access to safe and nutritious food. The Caribbean has one of the highest rates of communicable diseases.
More than 4.5 billion people depend on agriculture food systems for their jobs but livelihoods are also at risk due to the coronavirus pandemic. Production is an advantage for the country but he noted that there is need for hard infrastructures such as cold chains, roads and ICT to further sustain the sector. This should be coupled with investment funds and policies for food safety, market development and green growth.
“Integrated value chains can assist farmers and local enterprises to access high value chains but would require close collaboration with the Private Sector. One approach might be to provide blended finance and concessional loans as part of the public-private partnerships,” Dr Terero added.
Special Advisor to the Director General of IICA, Dr Eduardo Trigo said at the technical level, they are working to develop documents and organise a series of dependent dialogues on key areas for system transformation. At the political level, IICA is placing the summit in the ministerial agendum for a formal discussion during its next executive committee in June. The objective is to reach the pre-summit with a west hemisphere consensual position.