Holder talks up strategy to achieve food security
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder

MINISTER of Agriculture Noel Holder has underscored the important role agriculture plays in the achievement of food security here and said government has embarked on a structured mechanism to address the issue.
Holder was speaking on Friday at the 71st meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development at the CARICOM Secretariat. He said as a net exporter, Guyana has taken targeted steps to secure and maintain food security. To this end, government has devised a system to address food and nutrition security within the economy. He said the implementation of a food and nutrition strategy is vital to achieving the goal of improving the health and well-being of all persons living in Guyana.
Government, he said, has adopted a multisector approach to ensuring that all stakeholders play a significant role in addressing the key pillars of food security. “These are availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability. While we continue to face challenges to implement various initiatives, we support the integration of records that support food security,” he said.
According to him, food availability continues to be a plus for Guyana, as food remains in high quantity. He said the ministry is committed to ensuring that availability is increased and sustained in both quality and quantity. “In this regard, some of our key institutions to enhance availability include promoting agriculture, crop diversification, good agricultural practices, pest and diseases (control) and the promotion of value-added, among others.”
Minister Holder said various projects are on stream to address accessibility of food. These include the Rural Agricultural Infrastructural Development Programme which seeks to improve farming communities in selected areas. There is also the Sustainable Agricultural Development Programme which will address measures to improve productivity and climate change challenges in the savannahs. There is also the Hinterland Environmentally Sustained Agriculture Development Programme which focuses on including agriculture and value-added products in specific communities in the interior region.
To encourage the utilisation of food, the minister said government continues to support capacity- building of agro-processing to meet international quality and standards of foods. He said his ministry collaborates with the relevant agencies with respect to the availability of the right quality, quantity and kinds of food for dietary needs and consumption.
To foster sustainability, he said, several initiatives have been implemented and capacity-building has been conducted in areas nationwide, along with nutrition security sensitisation. The minister said that recently, government has taken note of the challenges of the impact of climate change and changes in the trade environment.
“The inclusion of all stakeholders is vital to the success of any food and nutrition programme, whether implemented nationally, regionally or internationally,” he added.

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