-at national stakeholder forum
THE Ministry of Agriculture yesterday hosted a national stakeholders’ meeting to sensitise all stakeholders within the fruits, vegetables and aquaculture sectors about interventions proposed for the industry under the Agriculture Diversification Programme.
The Agriculture Diversification Programme (ADP) is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank at cost of US$21.9M with counterpart funding from the Government of Guyana of US$1.1M. The programme targets an increase in the export of non-traditional agricultural commodities and it seeks to establish services and institutions for a sustainable increase in the income derived from the export of non-traditional agricultural exports in the aquaculture, fruits and vegetables, and livestock sub-sectors such as beef, peppers, pumpkins, plantains and farm grown fish, particularly tilapia.
The Ministry has been pursuing the development of the three agribusiness sectors including livestock, fruits and vegetables and aquaculture under the Agricultural Export Diversification Programme. The intervention is aimed at developing viable value chains in the three sectors for the export market.
At the meeting’s opening ceremony held at the Guyana School of Agriculture, Mon Repos, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud said  the agriculture diversification has been a work in progress for many years.
He stated that with necessary financing,  the Ministry has a comprehensive project to take the diversification further while concentrating on fruits, vegetables and aquaculture to ensure effective economic growth opportunities and to bring benefits to Guyanese.
The Minister reiterated government’s commitment to further diversification in the agriculture sector adding that , this year,  the Ministry will be spending through the project with international and government support,  close to $2B on agriculture diversification.
Minister Persaud expressed the hope that with the investments being made on the programme this year, the Ministry would be able to achieve the objectives set out in the diversification programme.
The Agriculture Minister noted that government has invested heavily in the rice and sugar sectors and will continue to do so but there is need to diversify.
It was noted that the government will support the private sector in the areas of organizing stakeholders and interested investors into working groups which will drive the development of the specific commodity value chains, providing grants to propel investments in the clusters, and providing technical assistance for capacity enhancement in agri-business, including contractual business arrangements, international best practices and phytosanitary requirements of Guyana’s trading partners among other areas.
The livestock industry will benefit from a state-of-the-art abattoir which will be built and operated through a Public-Private Partnership scheme.
In addition, government has also undertaken to improve its agricultural services provided to the public.
Cluster Manager for Aquaculture, Pamela Ramotar noted that previously, Guyana’s agriculture was dependent on two main traditional crops – rice and sugar.
She said the exports of these products were done mainly because of preferential treatment which has been consistently eroded especially during the last few years.
This situation among other challenges to the traditional sector has created the need for the development of non-traditional agriculture sub sectors. This diversification (certification) will expand Guyana’s agriculture base, and buffer the effects of adverse external shocks such as current food crisis occurring globally, Ramotar said.
She further noted that another contribution for the diversification effort is the need to reduce hunger and poverty through income generation and development of rural areas within the country.
The three areas slated for emphasis in the diversification drive, she said is the promotion of aquaculture, fruits and vegetables and livestock.
“The non-traditional agriculture sub-sector is one of the most promising economic activities in Guyana with high potential for rapid exports and job creation growth proximity to market, inexpensive labour, the facility and development of land and an abundance of fresh and brackish water are just a few of the advantages that encourage investment in the non-traditional agriculture sub-sectors,” she highlighted.
Ramotar stated that non-traditional agriculture has played a fundamental role in the development process in Guyana and still continues to do so.
While providing an overview of the diversification programme, Project Coordinator of the Agriculture Sector Diversification Unit, Sattie Sasenarine said that as government moves to diversify the economy especially as it relates to the agriculture sector,  there is need to create the enabling environment for both the private and public sectors.
She said government sought to create the enabling environment through the development of non-traditional agriculture particularly through the agriculture diversification programme.
The main component by which the objective of the ADP would be achieved, she said are through the private sector entrepreneurship in agri-business, agribusiness export and facilitation services, the agriculture health and food safety component and the drainage and irrigation and rehabilitation component.
The private sector entrepreneurship component focuses directly on the benefits to the private sector producers, investors and the private stakeholders while the agri business facilitation focuses on services. The health and food safety component will see the improvement of public sector facilities and services, Sasenarine added. (GINA)