THROUGH the Ministry of Agriculture, the Government of Guyana is currently focusing on aggressively diversifying the agriculture sector, and will tomorrow convene a stakeholders’ conference on the future of the coconut industry.

That meeting will be held in the boardroom of the Agriculture Ministry at Regent and Vlissengen Roads, here in the City.
According to a release issued Friday, the Agriculture Ministry regards the coconut industry as an important component of the government’s diversification initiative.
“The coconut industry in Guyana has been identified as one of the sectors with a large potential for further development.
Coconut already exists in Guyana as one of the key non-traditional crops, and its production relies on Guyana’s comparative advantages in terms of land, water and labour,” the release said, adding:
“Coconut can be used in food, feed and fuel; and delivers a very wide variety of products,including coconut water, coconut oil, coconut milk, and dried coconut, which are all in demand regionally and internationally.”
It is for this very reason that the ministry plans on engaging all stakeholders, including those from the coconut water industry, coconut oil mills, copra producers, and producers of other value-added coconut by-products from Regions Two to Six.
The release noted that government recognises that the industry is still to reach its full potential, not only in terms of productive efficiency, but also with regard to prime value-added products that use coconut as their base.
Moreover, one of the reasons for the initial decline of the coconut industry was the widely discredited misinformation campaign associated with coconut oil and its supposed relation to cholesterol, heart disease and fat content.
However, the ministry’s statement related the now accepted fact, that coconut oil actually reduces harmful fats and improves the immune system of humans; and it is against this background that the Government of Guyana has initiated a coordinated approach towards revitalising and developing the coconut industry, with cooperation from the private sector and the donor community, amongst other stakeholders.
The release also mentioned that a workshop with all stakeholders involved in the coconut industry was convened in August 2009, where a coordinated approach was developed to revitalize the coconut industry in Guyana; and that, over the years, export data has shown an increasing demand for coconut and some of its by-products in the regional market.
The upcoming stakeholders’ meeting is specially designed to review the work programme the Agriculture Ministry has developed for 2013 and beyond.
During an interview with the state media on Friday, January 11, at the Ministry’s Regent Road boardroom, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy noted that this conference will be the first step in the 2013 efforts to energise, expand, and open new horizons for the coconut industry.
He said he believes the local coconut industry has a bright future, and that the efforts to revitalize it in the 1990s can now materialise.