“More support needed to ensure vulnerable populations have access to food” – Mustapha

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has issued a call for more support to be made available to ensure that vulnerable populations across the world, particularly in this region of Latin America and the Caribbean, have access to food and agricultural resources.
He raised this issue during his address at a high-level dialogue that reflected on the fight against hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Guyana has already committed (substantial) resources to (the) food security initiative, and we are ready to continue doing so; but we also need more support at the regional and global levels, to ensure that (members of) the most vulnerable population have access to food and agricultural resources,” Mustapha has said.
The minister shared Guyana’s experiences and success stories in revitalising the agriculture sector and making it more food secure, not just for the country, but for the entire Caribbean region; and reflected on vulnerabilities of the regional agriculture sector.
“Grenada, the entire agriculture sector was wiped out (by) Hurricane Beryl. St Vincent and the Grenadines were affected severely, and this is a continuous…process that the Caribbean region has to face. In Guyana, our Low Carbon Development Strategy 2030 is key to this recovery,” he detailed.
“We are building robust drainage and irrigation systems, improving food control infrastructure, (and) promoting the use of climate smart technology such as shade houses and hydroponics. Guyana has committed over 60% of our agriculture budget to drainage and irrigation. You know (that) Guyana, as a country, is below the level of the sea,” he explained.
The category-four Hurricane Beryl devastated several Caricom states, including Grenada, and especially Carriacou; the state of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica. Against this backdrop, Minister Mustapha emphasized that Guyana is committed to doing its part in achieving food security, and he underscored the importance of regional leaders working together.
“Guyana is committed to sharing our experience and learning from our neighbours. The issues we face, from climate change to economic volatility, have significant regional implications, and our solutions must be regional as well; it must cover the Caribbean and Latin America. We must align our policies, leverage regional strength, and deepen our partnership to ensure that the entire Latin America and the Caribbean region can achieve food security,” he stated as he made clear that this dialogue is very critical.