Increased food production had positive impact on local market in 2022

Within just one year of increased food production, the local market was impacted positively by 12 per cent, reflected by statistics provided by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha to the National Assembly.
Performance of the sector was analysed for 2021, which showed 845,770 metric tonnes of vegetables, meat and fish recorded for domestic production. This contrasts 947,655 metric tonnes for 2022 – a difference of 101,885 metric tonnes.
Last year, rice moved up to 559,789 metric tonnes from 610,595 metric tonnes in the previous year – representing a nine per cent increase in production.
Jumps were also seen in vegetables such as onion, broccoli, carrot, cauliflower and red cabbage, with 5017 metric tonnes produced over 2727 metric tonnes in 2021. This was 84 per cent more for the domestic market.
Meanwhile, 12,207 metric tonnes of root crops were outweighed by 23,916 metric tonnes in 2022 or a 96 per cent increase.
Fruit production for local consumption grew from 180,402 metric tonnes to 197,873 metric tonnes – a 10 per cent growth.
There was a 608 per cent increase in aquaculture production, with 142 metric tonnes in 2021 to 1004 metric tonnes in 2022. Meat production grew by 11 per cent, from 53,960 metric tonnes to 60,112 metric tonnes.
Minister Mustapha also added in his written response, “The Government has committed to reducing our food import dependency, so much so that we were able to increase the production of the priority foods in 2022 through programmes that focus on agriculture diversification and expansion through drainage and irrigation, research and development, technology transfer, youth involvement in agriculture, climate-smart agriculture and genetic improvement.”
Guyana’s efforts to achieve food security extends beyond borders, for the benefit of the entire Region. As of February, Member States of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) collectively achieved a significant 57 per cent of the target set to realise “Vision 25 by 2025”, an initiative led by Guyana that will see the Region moving closer towards achieving food security.
It was reported that products such as cocoa, dairy, meat, root crops, fruits, and poultry had already reached 96.13 per cent, 84.36 per cent, 72.28 per cent, 70.91 per cent, 70.77 per cent and 70.19 per cent, respectively, for the targeted production volume set for 2025.
Moreover, countries such as Guyana, Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Dominica, and Jamaica made significant advances in the production of commodities such as ginger, turmeric, corn, soya bean, root crops, fruits, cocoa, poultry, meat, fish, table eggs, and dairy.
The report also indicated that for 2022, Guyana produced some 20,195 metric tonnes of ginger and turmeric, and 40,749 metric tonnes of coconut.
As of last year, the Caribbean carried a weighty food import bill of US$6 billion per annum. Inflated food costs among other factors had created a sense of dependence in the Region.
Several priority areas have been identified for 2023, including agriculture insurance and financing, trade and e-agriculture, resource mobilisation, and trade support. (G12)