World Pulses Day 2025: Ambassador highlights importance of Guyana’s agriculture drive

World Pulses Day has become an important day for spreading awareness and mobilize small farmers as Guyana seek to reduce food import and to become an exporter within and outside of CARICOM.
While Guyana continues to import small amounts of pulses such as channa, dhall, black-eye, green, red and black beans, under the leadership of President Irfaan Ali, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha and the Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana started production of red and black beans and black-eye since 2023.
With the President’s personal input, about 1,000 acres of land were put under production for red and black beans and black-eye in Bara Cara, Mara, Moleson Creek, Tacama and Kimbia. In 2024, this was increased to 2,000 acres.
For some of these products, Guyana should soon become self-sufficient and should become an exporter before 2030.
With this diversification of crops, Guyana’s food security should be considerably enhanced. In addition, Guyana’s food import bill should also be reduced. While these are ambitious goals, note that just a few years ago, Guyana imported about $US30M of soya and corn for the stockfeed industry.
In 2024, more than 12,000 acres of land were under soya and corn cultivation, reducing the country’s import of these critical items and now Guyana is poised to become an exporter within the Region by 2027.
February 10th annually is celebrated as World Pulses Day. Guyana joins the global family in celebrating World Pulses Day.
As Guyana continues to lead the ambitious CARICOM 25 X 25 Food Security Program, pulses have become an important component of the list of agriculture products produced by our farmers. Guyana, therefore, has a significant interest in World Pulses Day 2025.
Recognizing the potential of pulses to further achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and building on the success of the International Year of Pulses (IYP) in 2016 implemented by FAO, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated February 10th annually as World Pulses Day (WPD).
World Pulses Day provides an opportunity to raise public awareness about pulses and the fundamental role pulses play in the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.
The theme for World Pulses Day 2025 is “Pulses: Bringing Diversity to Agrifood-System”.
Pulses are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for both food and animal feed (stockfeed).
Beans, chickpeas and pigeon-peas, black-eye peas, peanuts and channa are the most well-known and commonly consumed types of pulses, but there are several more varieties from around the world, all with great benefits for food security, nutrition, health, climate change, and biodiversity.
Pulses include crops like lentils, red beans, black-eye peas, kidney beans, channa. These tiny, multi-coloured seeds have been one of nature’s nutritious foods since time began.
The Mission reminds people of some of the benefits from pulses:
1. Pulses are naturally low in fat and contain no cholesterol, which can contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
2. Pulses are low in sodium – or salt – which is a contributor to hypertension and can be avoided by consuming foods with lower sodium levels such as pulses.
3. They are a great source of plant-based protein, with, for example, 100 grams of dry lentils containing a remarkable 25 grams of protein.
4. Pulses are a good source of iron. Iron deficiency is considered one of the most prevalent forms
of malnutrition and is one of the most common types of anaemia.
5. Pulses are high in potassium, which supports heart health and plays an important role for digestive and muscular functions.
6. Pulses are high fibre foods, necessary for supporting digestive health and helping to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases.
7. Pulses are nutrient-dense food. For example, they are an excellent source of folate – a B-vitamin naturally present in many foods – that is essential to the nervous system function and especially important during pregnancy to prevent foetal defects.
8. Pulses can be stored for a long time and, therefore, can help to increase the diversity of diets, especially in developing countries.
9. Pulses are low glycaemic index foods. They help to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, making them suitable for people with diabetes and ideal for weight management.
10. Pulses are naturally gluten-free. This makes them an ideal option for coeliacs.
In addition, pulses help to diversify the agri-food system in a country. Its cultivation provides an additional opportunity for small farmers to improve livelihood and generate wealth. At the same time, increased production also provides an important raw material for stockfeed production.
The Guyana Mission congratulates the Government of Guyana and the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture in adding pulse to the diversified list of agriculture products for Guyana.

Ambassador
Leslie Ramsammy,
Ambassador to
Switzerland
Guyana’s Permanent
Representative to the
UN, Geneva