“Farming is in my blood…I’m very passionate about it and simply cannot see myself involved in any other business,” says Forbes McGarrell, a second generation farmer.

Mc Garrell has been engaged in farming for the past 24 years, gaining vast experience in the rice and cash crop sectors.

Years ago, while residing in Barbados McGarrell did farming on a subsistence level. Considering his success at farming, Mc Garrell decided to return home (Guyana) to take up large scale farming. Being ambitious and forward thinking, he was able to achieve certain aspects of his dream.

Today, he is the proud owner of McGarrell’s Farm and Plant Nursery, situated at Acme Housing Scheme, Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequbio.

The company has distribution sites in Georgetown, Mon Repos and Linden. Confident in the local agriculture sector, Mc Garrell will be opening a distribution site in Charity, Region Two. This is being done in partnership with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).

McGarrell is the General Manager for his company and is actively involved in every aspect, particularly the germination of seeds. Of the fifteen persons employed with the company, 80 percent are women. The male employees operate machinery, maintenance and do the heavy lifting while the women work to produce healthy seedlings. The plant nursery supplies a variety of seedlings including tomato, lettuce, celery and cabbage to home gardeners and commercial farmers across Guyana.

When the Chief Executive Officer of NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth and team visited the company’s operations base at Tuschen back dam, East Bank Essequbio, on Wednesday, two women were potting. Sitting under a breezy shed Pamela Gossai and Bibi Yassin were busy. On a daily basis, the duo pots about 200 seedling trays with ease. After potting, the seedlings are placed in shaded conditions, where they stay for about three to four weeks (depending on the crop) before being transported to the distribution sites. Mc Garrell’s seedlings are sold from as low as $8.

Seedlings produced are also utilized on the company’s farm. For the past 15 years, McGarrell has been engaged in commercial farming. Major plans are in the pipeline for the development of the 42 acres of land at Tuschen. The farm is equipped with a tractor, an excavator, and a small engine boat. He has expressed an interest in having NAREI set up demonstration plots on his farm.

About 15 acres of the farmland is currently being utilized with the cultivation of cabbages and plantains, and nearby there is a hassar pond.

McGarrell’s farm is one to boast about. Even with the large land space, the farm beds are clean. There is no visible sign of pest destruction to the crops. Of course, having a farm of this high sanitation standard comes with a lot of work. Work on the farm begins promptly at 06:30 hrs and concludes at 18:00hrs. The workers are entitled to breaks. Some of them relax in or under the small cottage on the farm while the others use hammocks.

The simple lifestyle the farm offers workers could be an intriguing and/or learning experience for persons, especially those accustomed to a hectic lifestyle or want to get involved in farming. As such, McGarrell wants to get involved in agriculture tourism. He believes that the serenity, nature, and the rural lifestyle could be an exciting package.

According to Dr. Homenauth, NAREI is pleased whenever farmers are engaged in such progressive ventures since they improve the livelihoods of communities. The Institute will continue to support such initiatives since help to realize President David Granger’s vision of reviving village economies.