A GROUP of young people from various fields of business have formed a cooperative (co-op) with the aim of accessing opportunities in the agriculture sector.

Op-co, the name of the co-op that was formed, came into being about five months ago. It is co-owned by Director of Sport, Christopher Jones; Ronson Gray, the co-owner of local tech company Intellect Storm and other young people who have a vested interest in agriculture.

They visited several farms on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara on Saturday and were able to scout for opportunities and learn about certain techniques in farming, particularly during their visit to a processing plant, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).
“We want to merge the new technologies with agriculture, so we invited several young entrepreneurs to visit the farm; Op-co is a channel to help young people who are interested in agriculture… we are interested and we have a passion for agriculture,” said Jones in an invited comment.

In order to expose the participants to the sector, Op-co solicited the assistance of GLDA specialist Michael Welch, who facilitated part of the visit.

“During the tour of the farm and the factory, we recognised that there are ways to interlink businesses,” said the director of sport, adding that some members of the co-op already do farming, but could be more innovative in their approach through assistance or partnerships.

Gray was also optimistic that the linkages would help young people add value to certain areas of the agriculture sector.

He believes that there needs to be a shift from the traditional form of agriculture to a modern approach, which would result in value-added production.

“We have a lot of resources in the area that needs to be exploited and working together as a co-op with government intervention, there is a lot we will be able to do,” said Gray.
The group intends to use their skills and expertise as a collective in order to make use of opportunities in the sector.

Creating a bond between agriculture and technology has already started.
According to Jones, a local drone company will be doing geo-mapping of the co-op’s farm in Kuru-Kururu on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

As a result of their ability to geo-map, the company has started consultations with the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC).

President David Granger had urged young people to get involved in agriculture. The group has so far responded to the call and even intend sharing their experience with the President.

Jones said the group will update President Granger on some of the challenges they faced and even recommend solutions to those and other challenges which people face in the agriculture sector.