–    Ramsammy
MINISTER of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said he wants Guyana to develop as a super exporting country and is aiming to develop the cottage and agro-processing industries across the country. Speaking to the media at Charity, on Essequibo Coast, after inspecting several farms in the Pomeroon on Saturday, accompanied by Minister within the Agriculture Ministry, Mr. Alli Baksh, Minister Ramsammy said the abundance of fruits will be processed, packaged and exported to other countries.
According to him, mangoes, that are cultivated countrywide in abundance, will be one of the fruits targeted for processing and packaging for export.
Ramsammy said Guyana must go beyond rice and sugar and explore the area of agro- processing, packaging and value-added to capture the international markets.
Referring to cash crops, he said, every week, some 56,000 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits are exported to Barbados and that amount must increase to pass hundreds of thousands of pounds weekly and Guyana must become a brand name for vegetables and fruits.
Ramsammy said there is an urgent need to promote more cash crop farming and that will be one of the priority areas of his ministry.
He said lime is one of the products in high demand in Barbados, especially the seedless type and farmers should grow those for the local and international markets.
Ramsammy also pledged that his ministry will continue to give technical support to farmers to push the national grow more drive and make Guyana the breadbasket of the Caribbean, once again.
On Friday, he, Baksh and Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) Vice-Chairman, Mr. Vishnu Samaroo visited a 25 acres farm at Adventure Sands and, along with several farmers, inspected a plot cultivated with hundreds of lime plants and advised the planters  on the international market for limes.
The ministerial party was told by the owner of the farm, Mr. Kamuradeen that, on Fridays, he sells at least 20,000 limes at Anna Regina Market and has some 350 mango trees on his 25 acres cultivation.