…$220M research facility for Ebini
…new milk plant for Diamond

IN 2019, Government will rebuild a modern agricultural research facility at Ebini, in Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice (Region 10) at a cost of over $220M, and which will be a developmental institution for orchards, nurseries and seed production, as well as for breeding herds of cattle and small ruminants to provide stock for farmers and entrepreneurs, Finance Minister, Winston Jordan said on Monday.

He told the National Assembly that the initiative will support a developmental thrust of bridging the hinterland and coast by re-distributing economic activities inland, while complementing other economic activities such as forestry, mining and other support services.

“Food and baseline studies and value chain studies in spices will be conducted in Mabaruma and Moruca, to provide an assessment of the status of food, agriculture and livelihoods for the targeted areas,” Minister Jordon said.
Further, he noted that a food processing facility will be constructed in Region One, and an additional water reservoir for water harvesting and rearing of Black Giant poultry will be constructed in Region Nine, while shade houses will be constructed in Regions Seven, Eight and 10.

However, the minister said that government must ramp up the diversification efforts to take advantage of available resources, and solidify the transformation that is required for building economic resilience while prioritising food safety and security, productivity, improved infrastructure, new value chains and value-added industries that boost investments in agro-processing and institutional capacity.

For these efforts, Minister Jordan said the government has allocated $17.1 billion to the agriculture sector, in 2019. Further in 2019, the Government will conduct a feasibility study to establish a dairy value chain, through the supply of improved breeding stock to farmers, milk chilling stations and refrigerated trucks to supply fresh milk to a new milk plant to be built at Diamond on the East Bank Demerara, by a leading Guyanese firm, he said.
The Finance Minister told the House that construction is slated to commence in 2019.

“As this ambitious programme matures, the milk plant will produce re-constituted pasteurised milk for the local market. Mr. Speaker, there is urgent need for up-to-date and reliable statistical information on food and agricultural activities, in order to develop sound policies and development plans for the agricultural sector,” Minister Jordan said.

Such information, he said, is needed not only to guide in the decision-making for the development of the sector, but also for monitoring and the evaluation of development plans and projects. To this end, Minister Jordan said preliminary works have commenced to execute a national agricultural census, in 2019.

In terms of legislation, he said a draft of the updated regulations for general food safety, abattoirs, meat, milk, poultry inspections and grading of eggs, fruits and vegetables was completed in 2018.

“The draft is currently being reviewed. Once finalised, these regulations will support the Food Safety Act and the Animal Welfare Act, paving the way for new investment opportunities, including facilitating private sector innovation and expansion into new, agro-based products,” Jordan explained.

He continued: “While emphasis is being placed on the development of non-traditional agricultural products, we will continue to diversify the traditional products, which remained key sources of revenue for our economy.”