VP defends diversification push

Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has pushed back against recent criticisms targeting President Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s remarks at the Enmore Martyrs, stressing that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is key to the government’s broader plan to transform agriculture, expand rural employment, and achieve food security.
Speaking during Thursday’s press conference at Freedom House, Dr Jagdeo stressed that the administration’s focus is not limited to rice but includes wide-scale crop diversification as a path to income and national income diversification.
A Department of Public Information (DPI) news report stated that currently, several crops are now being produced or expanded for both local consumption and export: roses, turmeric, nutmeg, coffee, cocoa, shrimp and other cassava, among other crops. These efforts, according to the VP, are already yielding measurable results, with 55 million pounds of cassava cultivated last year.
“In every one of these sectors, we are going to see more people employed [and] you’re going to see more people earning income from these sectors,” he informed reporters.
He elucidated further, noting that this vision extends to using over 60,000 acres, including 35,000 acres of private and corporate-owned land in the Skeldon/Crabwood Creek area, for an agro-industrial complex, with a new road being constructed from Crabwood Creek to Orealla to facilitate this.
Another 55,000 acres will be opened up in Region Five through similar irrigation projects, which the vice president said are designed to empower small farmers and expand both crop and livestock farming.
“That’s what the president was talking about: GuySuCo fitting into this master plan that will take some of the labour…currently employed in GuySuCo and create new opportunities for them; that was the idea,” the vice president underscored.
For example, a $6 billion investment is underway to build an industrial estate at the former Enmore factory site, which will employ 4,000 people. Dr Jagdeo noted that a major road is being built to support this industrial zone. These projects will in turn provide alternative employment for former sugar workers and others in surrounding areas, in line with the national diversification agenda.
And, “What we have to train our young people in would be very different now… it’s not a traditional type of agriculture, marketing and product… that’s what we were talking about.  But…oh, they’re complaining about the president’s speech at GuySuCo without understanding the context.”
According to a recent study published in Nature Food, Guyana is the only nation among 186 that achieves full self-sufficiency in food production, producing all the food it needs across seven identified food categories.
However, according to Dr Jagdeo, changing consumer preferences, spurred by increased wealth and rising disposable income, are driving demand for imported food. But the government is responding by increasing domestic food production.
He posited that to increase production, modern farming techniques are required, with specific emphasis on mechanisation, equipment management and scientific research.
To support this, the vice president announced that the government is planning to develop innovation hubs and diversification support centres in every region to train youth and support agro-processing.
“And then overall, we’d have the development bank to make zero-interest loans to those ventures. So, it supports diversification fully,” VP Jagdeo explained.
Beyond training and loans, he noted that the government is co-investing in agricultural ventures, including building factory shells and production units for youth-led businesses.
During the 77th Commemoration of the Enmore Martyrs, President Ali announced that by leveraging the existing human capital and technology at GuySuCo, Government is examining plans to strategically reimagine the mandate of the corporation to become a hub of rural development.
He had posited that GuySuCo could support the production of other crops like rice, corn and cassava, diversifying production to boost income using its large acres of arable lands and modern infrastructure.
In the 2025 budget, GuySuCo was allocated a whopping $13.3 billion to ensure that work is expanded on an additional 3,000 hectares of land. The sum also covers the construction of more than 17 kilometres of all-weather access roads.