GUYANA’S economy has historically been agriculture-based, and with the advent of other industries in the socio-economic equation, this dynamic has never changed.

Under the watch of every PPP/C administration, requisite support and facilitation were provided at every critical stage, especially through promotional initiatives like the “Grow More” and “The Jagdeo Initiative”. This is unlikely to change, even with the discovery of oil.

This is largely because the large tracts of arable lands and availability of abundant fresh water Guyana possesses allow for the government to create jobs and wealth through agriculture-based industries.

During the Jagan era of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Guyana was regarded as the ‘bread-basket of the Caribbean’, but, unfortunately, with a change of Government in the mid-1960s, the sector was seemingly deliberately downgraded, and, as a consequence, there was severe food shortages in Guyana, mainly because most of the advancements that had been made in the agriculture sector were reversed.

The rapid decline in agricultural output eventuated in this country becoming a net importer of food; even sugar, rice, milk, chicken and eggs, among a plethora of food items that were once produced bountifully in Guyana, had to be imported.

Farms were obliterated through neglect as farmers emigrated en masse because of the governmental restrictions and non-support, and the punitive measures imposed on agricultural pursuits, which resulted in foods that were previously produced in adequate quantities for local consumption, including milk, becoming scarce commodities in local markets.

Milk production had risen to such levels in the early 1960s that there was a need for the establishment of a milk pasteurisation plant, which had been established in Kingston, but which also became a statistic of the agricultural policy of a delinquent government which oppressed the farmers and suppressed the agricultural sector.

However, with the advent of the current administration, there has been a renewed emphasis on the agricultural sector, and every effort is being made to boost this vital area of the national economy. Consequently, many farmers who had abandoned their lands have now returned, and as a result, there has arisen a revitalised agriculture sector, and this country is now once again poised to becoming a strong exporter of food, especially through trade deals with US investors as a result of resolutions emerging from bilateral discussions between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali.
Presumptive upon a solid foundation for the sector having been re-established, efforts are underway to diversify and to boost the non-traditional crops which have an enormous potential to become a major sub-sector, and contribute significantly to our agriculture exports. With Government’s stated intention to reduce energy costs through alternative energy provisions, the viability of the manufacturing sector will be greatly enhanced with the consequential reduction of overhead costs.
Significant advancement has been made in this sub-sector with the addition of various non-traditional cash crops, and/or derivative products being added to the export market, including North America, Europe, and, of course, the Caribbean, with several initiatives underway to further boost this sub-sector.
In 2009, the $198M consultancy contract with Italian-based company AGROTEC Spa to provide health and food safety services under the Agriculture Export Diversification Programme (AEDP) was signed. The purpose of this programme was to oversee the establishment of services and institutions facilitating a sustainable rise in earnings from the export of non-traditional agricultural output in the aquaculture, fruits and vegetables and livestock sub-sectors.
This is a critical area, as food and health safety factors into the vital prerequisites of accessing and sustaining immensely profitable international food markets.
The previous PPP/C Government had achieved the United Nation’s MDG in food security, among others, but this had been eroded as a result of neglect of the agricultural sector post-elections of 2015.

However, the Irfaan Ali-led administration is re-vitalising the sector on various fronts; so it is not an unrealistic presumption to expect Guyana will once again become “The Food Basket of the Caribbean” in the very near future.