Dried tomato project soon to begin in Paramakatoi

RESIDENTS of Paramakatoi, Region Eight, will be launching a project that would allow them to grow, dry, package and market organic tomatoes. This project will be supported by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs through the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) and other partners.This project will hopefully solve the issue of unemployment in the community, and will boost the region’s ‘green and sustainable village economy’ initiative. Paramakatoi, a very remote village located in Region Eight, has very vast and fertile lands, and its residents have long been producing organic herbs, greens and fruits.

During a recent interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, said the Ministry, along with IAST, had engaged residents about the project, and the farmers have signed up to plant tomatoes. She explained that the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has agreed to provide the seedlings to the farmers, and soon 100 of these seedlings will be handed over to each farmer. An agriculture officer who is based in the region will be monitoring the project.

She said it is not economical to bring the tomatoes to Georgetown because it is very costly. “Those are organic tomatoes and Guyanese will not buy them, so we decided that the North American and European markets are best, and so we came up with the idea of dried tomatoes, ship it to Georgetown and then train the Indigenous people to produce the salad dressing; so we have great plans for that,” Minister Lowe explained.

The Ministry has also met with Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux, who is very interested in the project and is willing to provide some funding through some of his associates. A training centre will also be established in the community to train the youths who will spearhead the project. These youths are already being trained in the area of agriculture, through the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) project.

On a long-term basis, Minister Garrido-Lowe said, talks are ongoing to have a branch of IAST set up in the region to train youths in agro-processing. Through the 2016 regional budget, Region Eight has, for the first time, been allocated $33.4M for its agriculture programme. A number of projects are on stream, including training for farmers and staff of the regional office, along with the construction of three shade houses in Kopinang, Kato and Mahdia. The region also plans to expand its rice cultivation to facilitate an additional seven acres in Monkey Mountain.

(GINA)

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