AGRICULTURE Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Wednesday, confirmed that former head of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Jagnarine Singh, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).
Minister Mustapha, during a brief phone call interview, told the Guyana Chronicle the new appointment is a part of his ministry’s plan to refocus the organisation’s policy and mandate to ensure Guyana is a food-secure state.
The minister disclosed that Singh was introduced on Wednesday afternoon to the rest of the staff at NAREI’s Mon Repos headquarters, where they made a commitment to give the new CEO their full support.
During the brief introduction, Mustapha stated that he urged the new CEO and his team to work in partnership to change the outlook of the organisation and the agriculture sector.

“I also stressed that NAREI will have to change their way of doing things because they can’t do this the same way and want the same results. So NAREI has to be repositioned and refocused with their policy,” the minister said, adding: “I gave them a charge and I told them that they will have to lead the agenda in food security in our country and the region and also in those non- traditional crops like soya and corn.”
The minister stated that he is expecting the new CEO and staff of the organisation to work more efficiently in the development of food production and food security.
“I am hoping that the team at NAREI now will be more efficient and to help us to develop the food sector, especially the traditional and non-traditional crops,” he said.
The new CEO (ag) said there needs to be some amount of improvement to the services offered to farmers and noted that science must be incorporated into the extension services offered to the farmers.

“This (NAREI) used to be the central agricultural station and I would like for us to go back to those days when we used to be the central agricultural station in the country. Over the years at the rice board, I remember I had some problems with soils management and I had to end up going around the circle and sending soil samples to Miami. Guyana, a big agriculture producing country; we need to enhance and improve our services to the farmers. Not just soils, but our technical and diagnostic capacity in all areas of plant science. With the extension services, as much as I see, it is being driven on social media. I would want some science involved. The scientists must be involved. Whatever we are doing must be climate smart, it must be sustainable and profitable, so that our farmers can live a good life. The little plots we have around the country, I want to see them grow and move from just trials to a more economic value to the individual, the community and to the country as a whole,” Singh was quoted in a Ministry of Agriculture release as saying.

Minister Mustapha also charged the new CEO (ag) with implementing quarterly training exercises for extension officers in order to keep them abreast with developments in the sector so that they can be better equipped to deliver the kind of services required.
“The traditional crops that we have been giving guidance on, we have to improve on that. I’m tasking the new CEO (ag) to develop a plan to improve what we are doing now. Show us what we’ve been doing, where we want to go in terms of increasing productivity, getting more farmers on board, and what it will take for us to get there.

Additionally, His Excellency, President Irfaan Ali, has instructed that Guyana must become self-sufficient in the production of protein for the poultry industry. I am also tasking the CEO and his team with crafting a plan to accomplish this. $500M has been allocated in this year’s budget to commence infrastructural work in the Intermediate Savannah. A number of investors have expressed interest in this sector, so we have to ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place,” Minister Mustapha said. Singh takes over from Dr. Oudho Homenauth, who was employed by the agency for the past 20 years. Minister Mustapha said that even though Dr. Homenauth will no longer serve in the capacity of CEO, his contribution to the development of the sector and the institution over the years remain invaluable.