Guyana designing an economy where science, technology & innovation drive food security, export competitiveness – Go-Invest Head

Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and Head of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr Peter Ramsaroop has emphasised that “Guyana is deliberately designing an economy where science, technology and innovation drive food security, value creation and export competitiveness.” He made the remarks following an engagement with representatives of the Wageningen University & Research (WUR), one of the world’s leading institutions in food and agricultural innovation. The engagement builds on Guyana’s inaugural outbound investment mission to the European Union (EU) in November last year, which was led by Ramsaroop and included representatives from both the public and private sectors. Discussions focused on the application of science and technology to accelerate agricultural production, expand value-added processing and strengthen food security.

Key areas of interest included climate-controlled agriculture, agro-processing and research-driven solutions aimed at reducing waste, improving productivity and enhancing Guyana’s competitiveness as it transitions from primary production to higher-value agri-industrial output. These discussions are aligned with the Government of Guyana’s Budget 2026, which places strong emphasis on agriculture as a strategic growth sector, supported by science-driven agriculture programmes initiated by President Dr Irfaan Ali to modernise production, enhance productivity and strengthen national food security. Speaking on the engagement, Ramsaroop noted that “partnerships with institutions like Wageningen University & Research are central to this strategy, as we transition from primary production to a modern, resilient and globally competitive agri-industrial economy.”
During the Netherlands leg of the EU mission, the Guyanese delegation engaged with WUR through technical sessions examining climate-resilient agriculture, controlled-environment farming, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) compliance and shelf-life extension – priority areas that directly support Guyana’s agro-processing development and export-readiness objectives. As part of the ongoing engagement programme, local visits were conducted to the Ministry of Agriculture, private sector agro-processing facilities, business support organisations (BSOs), and local farms. During a press conference on Thursday, representatives of the university reflected on their visit to Guyana, expressing praise of the country’s agricultural environment. “We are very much impressed by the efforts the Government of Guyana is making, especially regarding fresh fruit production. We are very happy that the delegation of the European Commission invited us to come over and to do a scoping mission in this specific sector,” agronomist Ria Hulsman, a representative of the university, expressed.
Hulsman had also pointed to the role of research and collaboration in strengthening phytosanitary standards and unlocking Guyana’s production potential. “The institute looks into the standards of countries to see how they can be elevated to comply with the standards of Europe. There is a huge potential for Guyana to enter the market in Europe, but I’m already impressed with how much input is provided for the market itself. It is very, very important to produce healthy food,” she had said.