GUYANA today stands as an independent sovereign nation which caters to the concerns and demands of its people. The need for food security is one such concern, and with the sustained global rise in food prices that took the world by storm in 2008, the threat of world hunger became every country’s concern; no country was immune to the implications of the global increases in food prices. Food security, however, was always a priority on the Jagdeo Administration’s agenda, and in early 2002, President Jagdeo’s foresight of this problem was proven in his address to CARICOM heads, a strategic plan which would cushion the impact of increased global food prices on Caribbean countries. Jagdeo’s ‘brain child’ was later coined the Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture (JIA).
Guyana’s GDP heavily depends on the agricultural sector, which is the backbone of the country’s economy. President Jagdeo’s proposed strategy was for the country to start producing more of its own foods to lessen their dependence of imported food supplies. The ‘Grow More’ food campaign was officially launched as part of the Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture to create awareness of food security.
The Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture aims to completely diversify the agricultural sector, making it more business-oriented, bridging it to many other productive sectors to enhance both the agriculture sector and Guyana on a whole. The JIA has already created a bridge between agriculture and labour for the creation of jobs. Creating employment will improve standards of living and ultimately reduce the poverty level in Guyana. Indirectly, this will positively impact the crime situation. Diversifying the agricultural sector to create more value-added product, and linking this to the business setting is an important strategy, since sugar and coconut, for example, will not be merely sugar and coconut, but can be refined into white sugar for added value, or canned coconut milk, or even sugar-cake, coconut oil or molasses for added value, and exportation, thereby generating much needed revenue, and boosting the country’s GDP. In 2009, the government committed $490 million towards funding for the diversification programme. $1.3 billion was committed to the sector in 2010 for enhancing agricultural diversification.
The Jagdeo Initiative on Agriculture is indeed necessary for such a time in Guyana, as the agriculture sector remains a critical component of Guyana’s economy.