More specialised food production, innovative ways needed in agriculture – Pres Ali

With the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government pushing for more innovation and technology within the agriculture sector, President Dr Irfaan Ali also recently stressed the importance of more specialised production of food.
According to President Ali at an event hosted by the Canada-Guyana Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), the focus is on creating a Guyana that is known for its innovation. Considering Guyana’s leadership role on the regional stage in food production, the President stated that more innovation and market analysis must become normalised.
“Digitisation is going to be one platform. We want to set up a country that is known for innovation. Not only the production of food, but how innovative can we do it. Applying the best technology, increasing the number of women and youths, people living with disabilities owning farms and food production facilities.”
“Attaching a social value that creates higher value. Looking at specialised production, organics, analysing the market. And investing in the technology and infrastructure that will place us in that market,” President Ali said.
Further, President Ali called for a change in mindset whereby more focus is placed on high yielding business opportunities. He noted that if land space is optimised, this can guarantee access to high yield markets.
“This Guyana that we’re going to build, requires all of us. The future business opportunities do not require 50 acres of land. It requires a strong focus on high yielding opportunities. And that is where the world is going. Very consolidated business models with high yielding opportunities.”
“That is where the business is going. We deliberately took two acres to do the eco-lodges, 30 units. If someone comes to put down an apartment building, the first thing they’ll tell you is they want 30 acres,” President Ali said.
“The reality is that we don’t have that land on the coast. I asked them to produce some photos of the development, so people can understand how close we are to the conservancy and the wetlands.”

President Ali pointed out that while Guyana has a lot of land, 89 per cent of it is covered by forests that will not be cut down. As such, he noted that lifestyles of Guyanese and living arrangements will have to undergo a shift.
“This is just the reality. I’m telling you the reality of a Guyana 2030 and what we’re building, where we’re heading,” he said.
One way Guyana has been innovating is with the introduction of new crops. This includes millet, with the announcement in August that the Agriculture Ministry will soon embark on trials in regard to the cultivation of millets. This came after the Government received a quantity of millet seeds from the Indian Government.
The first crops of millets were cultivated in Asia and Africa, and cultivation later spread around the world as millets came to be known as an important food source for advanced civilisations. The continents of Asia and Africa are being considered the production and consumption centres for millet crops, and major producers of the grain are India, Niger, Sudan, and Nigeria.
With millets being gluten-free, their low glycaemic index (GI) facilitates a slower release of glucose over a longer period of time, thus reducing the risk of diabetes mellitus. Millets are rich sources of minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. They also contain appreciable amounts of dietary fibre, and vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B6, beta-carotene, and niacin. The availability of high amounts of lecithin is useful for strengthening the nervous system. Therefore, regular consumption of millets can help to overcome malnutrition.
This, however, is not the only area in agriculture in which India has offered assistance to Guyana. In fact, it was previously announced that specialists would arrive in Guyana to assist in developing a tissue culture laboratory, produce planting materials, examine the rice sector, and commence hemp production. Other types of innovation being explored is the use of shade houses. (G3)