–waiting to be replicated by investors eying Guyana

PRESIDENT David Granger and Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart visited the Santa Fe Mega Farm located in the North Rupununi, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) on Thursday. The thriving agricultural business venture is a major investment by prominent Barbadian investor Sir Kyffin Simpson in Guyana’s agriculture sector.Prime Minister Stuart said Guyana is definitely open for business and investment, and the success of the Santa Fe farm can serve as a model for other investors from other parts of the Caribbean and further afield to get on board.

“We have come to see for ourselves, because we have a message to take back to Barbados…the project at Santa Fe is as good an example as any to be found of the wisdom of venturing out of Barbados and other parts of the Caribbean and coming here into Guyana and invest. If the Brazilians can do it, if the Chinese can do it…we here in CARICOM can do it as well,” he was quoted as saying in a release from the Ministry of the Presidency.

That release noted the Barbadian Prime Minister as speaking of the close relationship shared by Guyana and Barbados over the years. Both countries gained independence in 1966, and both shared a High Commissioner to London for many years in the person of Sir Lionel Luckhoo.

President Granger said Santa Fe represents a reaffirmation of the bond between Guyana and the Caribbean, moreso Barbados. He said Region Nine is bigger than Costa Rica, and has an eco-tourism product that rivals that of countries like Costa Rica; therefore, it must be developed. However, noting that Region Nine lacks proper roads and other vital infrastructure, he reiterated his Government’s commitment to building the Linden-Lethem road, which will essentially open up the hinterland.

“We look forward to a new attitude to development, a new attitude to welcoming investments, and a new attitude to our economy. We have launched a green economy, and we are quite confident that now that a township has been created, Lethem will become a hub for investment,” the Guyanese Head of State said.

Speaking about Guyana’s tourism potential, President Granger said Guyana can benefit from the expertise of Barbados, which is known for its world-class tourism product.

“I want to see entrepreneurs from Barbados combining their product with our product; and we are going to be participants of this Caribbean project of developing our countries for our people and our children…. The door is open, and we are here to show our Caribbean brothers that, with our land space — once we have investments and the expertise — we can become as prosperous as any other part of the world,” he said.

Region Nine Chairman Brian Allicock lauded the level of innovation at Santa Fe. He said that every time he visits the farm, something new is being developed; but he urged for some kind of mechanism to be worked out to make small farmers benefit from the expertise at Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe farm spans a total of 29,000 acres of arable land in the North Rupununi. Farm Manager Persaram Ramdat said some 1200 acres of land are currently under rice cultivation, while another 8,000 acres are being prepared for rice.

Water for the rice lands is directly supplied from the Ireng River through an impressive gravity irrigation system. Rice grown at Santa Fe is exported, while ground provisions and other cash crops are sold in Lethem.

The rice, when harvested, is processed at two huge silos located on the farm itself. This facility was constructed manually by some 30-odd residents, completely without the use of any machines. Cattle, poultry and small ruminants are also being reared at Santa Fe.

Even as Government looks to support the redevelopment of cattle rearing in Region Nine, after it had suffered some years of decline, GLDA Head Nigel Cumberbatch has said that plans are in the pipeline to resuscitate the sector. Those plans include the introduction of new breeds of cattle, construction of an abattoir and sourcing better markets.

He informed that GLDA has a strong presence throughout the Region, as a number of veterinarians and livestock assistants are posted in Region Nine to assist farmers and to deal with challenges such as disease outbreaks.

The President and Prime Minister were accompanied by Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder; Minister of Communities, Mr. Ronald Bulkan; Minister in the Office of the Barbados Prime Minister, Senator Darcy Boyce, who is responsible for energy, immigration, telecommunications and investment in Barbados; Executive Director of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Mr. Barton Clarke; Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority, Mr. Nigel Cumberbatch; and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr. Oudho Homenauth.