THE Agriculture Ministry is spearheading a drive with partners for food self-sufficiency in hinterland communities which could include commercial agriculture. During a visit to Kato in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) Friday, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said four rice hullers in the region will soon be repaired, cassava stems will be sent to assist farmers commence cultivation and an Agriculture Officer, a recent Guyana School of Agriculture graduate, will be permanently based in the region.
“Food availability and food security for every community is a priority for the government”, he said.
Self sufficiency was the main focus of the meeting between Mr. Persaud and farmers and residents at the Kato multi-purpose building.
The minister said that in moving to “lift and expand” the agriculture sector, the ministry and its partners are looking to hinterland communities to be self-sufficient.
“It is our role as government to ensure that hinterland communities are food secure as it relates to both crops and livestock,” Persaud assured.
The first rice crop in Moco Moco Village in Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) was harvested Thursday from 82 acres of paddy.
Persaud, who was among officials at the historic reaping, said the hinterland rice planting is supported by the administration to ensure that no community is left behind in Guyana’s developmental advance.
Eleven acres of beans were ready to be reaped and the two crops were cultivated under the Hinterland Rice and Beans Project, a food security programme for indigenous communities in the Rupununi savannah.
The expected yield is 25 bags of paddy per acre and 900 pounds per acre of beans.
The $126M undertaking was facilitated by the government, in partnership with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
For three years duration, it is aimed at developing savannah agriculture in an effort to increase crop production and enhance economies in the villages.
Region Eight farmers said problems affecting food production in the region include reduced yields because of pests, water logging due to floods, inadequate planting material and poor market access for produce. Local people also need to be trained to maintain and operate machinery used in crop production.
With livestock, the problem was basically management, residents said.
Persaud assured residents of technical support and other resources to address the problems.
He also acknowledged that the issue of logistics and weather are impediments to advancing agriculture in Region Eight.
According to Persaud, the ministry is addressing problems in moving crops to markets, specifically high transportation costs, since it makes no sense for farmers to plant without being sure of their markets.
He said that planting crops with longer shelf life, using basic technology and developing the road link between Regions Eight and Nine are options being looked at.
Taking food self-sufficiency a step further, he said, would be to look at commercial agriculture and he urged Kato residents to take up this challenge, which would see the economic state of the village improving.
“Use agriculture as a catalyst for economic improvement in your community,” Persaud advised.
He noted too that climate change is the sector’s major challenge and is as real for hinterland communities as it is to Guyanese across the coast affected by the recent spring tides which caused flooding in several parts.
He pointed to the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), adding, “We recognise what the challenges are…every country has their problems with climate change…as a government we are dissatisfied with the level of economic development in communities…the transformation of village economies is a must.”
Residents interested in aquaculture asked for the water in the region to be tested for this purpose and Persaud lauded the eagerness to diversify agriculture operations, saying ministry officials will visit to do the tests.
The need for technical assistance was another area of concern. Officials from the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) had visited the area to assist farmers to establish plots and Persaud said they will return to provide additional support.
Also, responding to Persaud’s call for commercial agriculture, a resident pointed out that most of the work done in the region is manual and even if there is mechanical assistance, the knowhow to maintain and operate the equipment is missing.
The Agriculture Minister said the challenge with this is being able to determine the level of mechanisation to introduce to communities.
“We are grappling with what is the best way to deal with this…at the ministry we are trying to build capacity for agriculture mechanisation…we can have two or three people trained who will visit the regions and help residents be equipped to maintain machines,” he said.
Persaud added that his ministry is committed to supporting communities and pointed out that the administration’s approach to development is a “bottom-top” one, where the people raise their concerns and the government responds.
He noted that the government has made several interventions to support communities to be self-sufficient with agriculture and advance commercial agriculture.