–    Minister Persaud

FOOD prices increased in the latter part of 2010 and are expected to rise further this year and Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said Guyana, with the massive investments in the agriculture sector, can capitalise on the global increases.

“Guyana is food secure. If we are able to produce more and have the infrastructure and bring down production costs, if we are able to structure agriculture and food production systems the way we have been doing, we can do it,” he said.
Speaking at the commissioning of a sluice at Alness, Corentyne, Berbice, Persaud said farmers are responding to the massive investments being made and more land is being cultivated.
He said Guyana has as much as 300,000 acres, in addition to millions more in the hinterland, where it can expand production.
Persaud, noting that this country, in 2010, produced and exported the largest quantity of rice in its history, added: “We plan ahead and are very strategic in preparing for opportunities.”
He indicated that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are increasing their attention to Guyana as a supplier of food and the region imports some $4bilion worth from the United States (U.S.).
Persaud said, if the region is serious, it must be supportive of the regional agriculture drive, in which Guyana is a lead player.
“The global community, in particular the CARICOM region, they are looking at countries like ours…when you see the investments we are making, it is preparing for opportunities such as these…we have to look ahead and plan for the future,” he reiterated.
However, Persaud, acknowledging that Guyana is vulnerable to climate change impacts, said the country is preparing for them with advancements to its drainage and irrigation (D&I) and sea defence infrastructures.
“We are working with all stakeholders to make the necessary investments,” he said, maintaining that all the moves in the sector are being advanced by stakeholders who understand the need to be climate sensible.
Persaud said the bottom line is the advancement of the sector through improved productivity and, by extension, enhanced livelihoods for farmers.
He said the sector’s trajectory is, ultimately, directed at the development of an agro-industrial base and, in that context, changes in the energy market are being observed and Guyana is responding with the development of hydroelectricity from the Amaila Falls project.

Resilience

Persaud said building the resilience of the agriculture sector, in a comprehensive manner, would allow Guyana to respond to the production challenges, remain food secure and raise production levels to meet the demands of export markets.
He said, in doing so, much emphasis is being placed on added value.
Explaining that the value chain focuses on the product from research and post harvest to agro-processing, Persaud said, it, essentially, looks at the produce at different stages and to markets for every component of it.
“We cannot maximise on the opportunities we have by being only a primary commodity producer, where we export things in bulk and raw. We need to focus on value added and, in the long term, make the country more value-added,” he posited.
Persaud said Guyana no longer has preferential markets for its traditional products, rice and sugar, or any others for that matter but has the potential to make a difference and must maintain its focus on the reconstruction of a modern sector.
“When you see us rehabilitating the drainage and irrigation system and looking at credit facilities for farmers, at livestock farmers and new varieties and technologies and having more Farmers’ Field Schools, these are just activities that contribute to a plan that supports a vision for a modernised, diversified and competitive national economy,” he offered.