-from mere subsistence to export-oriented
MINISTER of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said that it is an undeniable fact that Guyana, as a country, depends much on the agriculture sector, noting that 21 percent of the economy depends directly on this sector. The minister was at the time speaking on the television programme, ‘Close Up’, on the National Communications Network (NCN).
The minister said that it is clear across the country that, “outside of sugar and rice, and, to a lesser extent, fisheries, the rest of the sector has been built around mere subsistence; we must pursue agriculture to create livelihood.”
He added that no country has moved to a higher economic status based on agriculture alone; however, this sector can be a propeller for developing industries that can serve as growth catalyst for any country.

Self-sufficiency
Minister Ramsammy said that Guyana is among a select group of countries which, in terms of feeding its own people, is self-sufficient, especially with regard to rice, poultry, fish, and eggs; while capacity is being built rapidly in terms of meat, such as beef and pork.
“When it comes to feeding our people, that is a goal that we have achieved; and we can improve on that, and this is why Guyana is one of the countries that has been able to buffer the global financial problems and the rising food prices, because we can rely on our own production,” he explained.
Exportation

Guyana is also well positioned to build its export industry, as for over 100 years it has been exporting rice, sugar for almost 300 years, and now the focus has been shifted to diversification and the creation of value-added products.
The minister noted that Guyana has become an important exporter of fish; and with the growth of this sub-sector, the aquaculture stock has been diversified and expanded to include other types of fish, not just tilapia.
Cash crops such as coconuts, plantains, eddoes, peppers, and pumpkins continue to be exported; and the agriculture minister said, “there is a large market just waiting for us to take advantage of it, but because we have always taken the subsistence type approach to agriculture, rather than an export-oriented approach, we have not developed the conditionalities that go along with being able to export.”
To this end, he said that the necessary food safety and phyto-sanitary regulations need to be put in place, as well as the development of laboratory capacity. This, he said will be the main focus of his ministry.
“I’m looking at transforming the sector so that we will create entrepreneurs, with the bulk of our produce going overseas. In this process, I’m looking at the creation of cottage industries and so on… we are taking it from just being agriculture to an agro-industrial enterprise,” he said.
The minister said that Guyana has no shortage of healthy foods, particularly vegetables, and he urged that Guyanese consume more of the local produce. He explained that it is not just about importing foreign products, but that the expenditure of foreign currency makes the country vulnerable to global financial crises and rising food prices.

Expansion
Guyana has made great strides in expanding agriculture. Under the Aurora Land Development project, which was launched in Region 2 in 2011, about $233M was spent on the procurement of excavators and bulldozers to develop the land.
Minister Ramsammy also spoke of the bright prospects of developing agriculture in Siriki, Region 2, Canje Basin (about 120,000 acres of land) and the intermediate savannahs, which he said can help to develop more diversified agricultural products, as well as engage hinterland residents.
With regard to the response of farmers to these initiatives, the minister said that there seems to be great eagerness to take on more land. He disclosed both locals and foreigners have expressed an interest in using the vast agricultural lands in Guyana for the production of bio-fuels from sugarcane.

Rice
The rice industry experienced a record breaking year in 2011, having produced its highest ever production of 401,904 tonnes, an increase of over 11%, or 40,000 tonnes, as against the 361, 525 tonnes of 2010.
Minister Ramsammy said that the improved capacity for drainage and irrigation has lessened the challenges that rice farmers have had to grapple with traditionally.
Additionally, the high prices being offered for rice from neighbouring Venezuela is very encouraging to farmers.
“If the price is high, farmers will go through constraints to produce rice…virtually all the land that is available and even those that were abandoned are now being developed for cultivation,” he said.
As production increased, farmers, millers and exporters also benefited from new marketing opportunities and prices for their crops.
In 2011, Government sealed a US$54M agreement with the Government of Venezuela, an accord that extended and revised three previous contracts between the two countries.