Second tissue culture lab to boost agri self sufficiency

– additional facility expected to increase production to some eight million plants annually

Amid the Government’s agriculture development agenda, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will soon invest in the construction of a second tissue culture lab in the country.
Tissue culture, a cutting-edge technique in agriculture, enables the growth of plant cells, tissues, or even entire plants in a controlled, sterile environment. This method facilitates the rapid multiplication of genetically uniform plants, enhances disease resistance, and ensures superior quality.

This boost towards the country’s agriculture sector was revealed by Vice-President (VP) Dr Bharrat Jagdeo last week, during a panel discussion at the 2025 edition of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo (GECSCE).
According to VP Jagdeo, the PPP/C Administration has been keen on making Guyana self-sufficient in agriculture.
On this point he highlighted that the Government had recently invested in the construction of a tissue culture lab that will be capable of producing some four million plants annually.
“If you look at expansion of agriculture, we need new planting material so we have just contracted a new tissue culture lab that would start operating now that can produce four million plants per year. We were producing maybe a hundred thousand of those in our nurseries around the country.”
In fact, to further support the Government’s agriculture development agenda the VP revealed that the Government will soon send out bids for the construction of a second lab. With this additional facility Guyana is expected to produce some eight million plants annually.
“And we are about to contract another tissue culture lab that would do another four million plants this is to support our agriculture measures.”
Meanwhile, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) is making a transformative leap in Guyana’s agricultural sector, with the construction of a state-of-the-art $402.5 million tissue culture laboratory at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Set for completion in the first quarter of 2025, the facility is poised to revolutionise the production of high-quality, disease-resistant plantlets, meeting the growing demand for planting materials both locally and internationally.
According to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, this advanced laboratory is a cornerstone of the efforts to modernise Guyana’s agricultural landscape.
The construction of the tissue culture laboratory is part of the Sustainable Agricultural Development Project (SADP), funded through a US$15 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The upgraded facility will include a food-safety laboratory alongside traditional tissue culture rooms, enabling the production of planting materials that comply with international export standards. This dual-purpose setup will significantly enhance Guyana’s ability to compete in regional and global markets.
First signed in 2017, the SADP was designed to drive transformative changes in Guyana’s agricultural sector, focusing on sustainable growth, increased productivity, and climate resilience.
The initiative supports small and medium-sized farmers by increasing productivity while protecting fragile ecosystems.
With its multifaceted approach, the SADP seeks to fortify Guyana’s agricultural practices against climate change and improve livelihoods across the sector.