THE Guyana Agricultural Producers Association (GAPA) recently held its first regional conference at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast under the theme “Towards participatory agricultural programme development”.

Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Ali Baksh, who addressed more than three hundred farmers drawn from the Essequibo Coast, Pomeroon and Amerindian communities said that GAPA is a non- governmental organisation (NGO) and not a political movement.
Minister Baksh said it is a registered body and sister organisation of many trade unions.
He also noted that the conference is the first regional one to be held and two others are planned for Demerara and Berbice. He said the intention is to form three regional bodies in Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice which will have fifteen bona fide farmers each as executive members.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE

According to Baksh, when the regional bodies are set up and functioning, a national conference will be held in Georgetown.
He told farmers that a similar organisation to GAPA was formed in the sixties in Essequibo to help farmers to boost production and at the same time reduce production costs. He said the organistion known as the Pomeroon Farmers Association was founded by Mr. Isahack Basir, Mr. Ayube Khan and the late Sukhai, Chairman of Region Three.
Minister Baksh noted that the organisation functioned for sometime but collapsed. Looking back at history, he recalled that the early PPP Government in the sixties had set up a land service in the Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara Rivers to move non- traditional crops from point to point to the marketing centre which helped farmers to get their produce sold.
Baksh said non-traditional crops produced the fourth highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Guyana through export, adding that at present the country is exporting more than one hundred commodities. He said the demands for non-traditional crops are there but the production is not up to the mark.
PROBLEM FINDING WORKERS

Minister Baksh said it is very difficult these days to find labourers to work on farms. He said it is a very serious problem because of changes that are taking place in the country in terms of development, especially in technology.

He also noted that many young people are moving away from the farming communities to the city or the gold and diamond fields.
NEW OPPORTUNITIES

According to Baksh, the young people have a different mentality from the older folks because the Government has opened up new opportunities for them and nobody can blame them for that. Mr. Baksh observed that now there are hundreds of new doctors, nurses, technicians, and trained teachers, all because the Government has given young people new opportunities to study and qualify themselves.
Region Two Chairman Mr. Parmanand Persaud said through the GAPA organisation farmers will be able to tap into Government assistance through the different agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the Chairman, GAPA and the Ministry of Agriculture can give assistance with tools, seeds and duty free concessions for small machinery for farming and processing. Mr. Persaud said GAPA can also advise farmers on how to add value to products.
The Chairman said currently the Region is exporting many processed products and pointed to the Original Juice Center at Charity with such products as natural fruit juices, bottled cane juice, coconut water, Kapadula natural drink and organic pineapple chunks.
Mr. Persaud told farmers that the Region has a vast acreage of land that is uncultivated while it is still importing large amounts of eschallot and bora each week from Region Three. He called on farmers to produce and export more in Region Two and to work together so as to up production.
Member of Parliament Mr. Cornel Damon who is also an executive member of GAPA told farmers that they are doing a fantastic job to feed the nation and congratulated all of them.
The MP said the contribution by farmers to the country’s development is well recognised. He said farmers in the Pomeroon are benefiting and can continue farming because of the Government’s massive empoldering project.
Present also at the regional conference were Mr. Isahack Basir, Vice Chairman Mr. Samaroo and officers of the Department of Agriculture.

(By Rajendra Prabhulall)