— says it must do more on research and development
AGRICULTURE Minister Robert Persaud yesterday challenged the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) to focus more on research and development to help the agriculture sector better cope with opportunities from climate change.

In a frank address as the institute opened its annual two-day research conference, the minister noted that NARI spends 70 per cent of its budget on employment and only 30 per cent on research and development (R&D).

“What are we here for? Are we an employment agency or are we a research and development agency for the agriculture sector?”

He said that this is an institutional issue that has to be confronted very early.

The focus of the annual meeting is ‘Agricultural Development in a changing climate – Towards Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions’, and Mr. Persaud suggested that it should zero in more on the opportunities rather than on climate change problems.

“That has to be the thinking”, he declared, adding that Guyana’s vision is to convert the gathering storm of climate change into a “powerful cloud of opportunities”.

He stressed to participants meeting at the Guyana School of Agriculture at Mon Repos on the East Coast Demerara that more focus has to be on R&D to confront the threats and take up the opportunities.

There is a need, he said, for strong and vibrant R&D to get the context and develop the vigour to create an intelligent agriculture sector.

Persaud said the institute is weak in terms of research specialists and commended the few for their continuing work within the institute.

But NARI has to develop its capacity to take on additional responsibilities, he declared, announcing that within a few months, a livestock development authority and another to deal with crops and plant health are to be set up within the Agriculture Ministry.

He said a strategic decision has been taken to fit the crops and plant health activities within NARI and this means it has to develop much more capacity with the accompanying resources.

He said it has to get the right calibre and complement of skills it needs.

The minister said he is optimistic that the NARI Board of Directors, the management team and others involved with the institute are up to the task of implementing these strategic activities and get the “best fit” and “right size” for R&D in agriculture.

He said the institute will be a critical agent in the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which underpins the government’s thrust for a low carbon economy.

He noted too that it is also very crucial for the current diversification drive which has this year seen the commencement of a US$28M project and it has to step up its R&D efforts.

“For the first time…we have a dedicated project to move agriculture diversification forward in our country”, he said.

Persaud acknowledged that NARI will be constrained by inadequate resources, noting that as a developing country, Guyana will not be able to invest huge sums in research and the emphasis has to be on capture, refine and transfer of technology.

In this regard, he stated that Guyana has to deepen links with agencies and institutions in other countries, including Brazil, China, India, the United States and South Africa.

“That has to be one of the approaches in overcoming that fundamental inadequacy that our research and development (face) in terms of resources”, the minister said.

Referring to the limitation of resources, Persaud said, “We have to be creative; we have to develop innovative ways of overcoming those (limitations) and there are tremendous possibilities in overcoming those”, he said, adding that the institute does not have to reinvent the wheel in getting the job done.

He said participants must acknowledge that there is much more to be done and to re-engineer their focus because the realities are changing.

The agriculture of Guyana of the last 300 years is outdated, he said, and it is producing for the world market.

Those in the sector have to focus on research to ensure food security in terms of satisfying local needs and supporting Guyana as a leading food exporter, he urged.