GUYANA was once referred to as the “bread basket of the Caribbean” because of the country’s vast agricultural potential. Its main economic traditional crops are rice and sugar, which continue to be produced and exported on a large scale to Europe, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Despite the challenges the country is facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, work is still being done to ensure that food security remains a priority in the country. As the government seeks to diversify the economy by introducing new non-traditional crops such as soya bean and corn to produce its own feed for the poultry industry, it is also expected to reap its largest rice harvest to date, along with expanding its sugar production.

The sugar industry has seen tremendous works in the last eight months when three sugar estates were reopened for operations, contributing to a boost in employment and hope for those communities that have suffered due to the closure. The industry has alone undergone a marketing evaluation, where more focus is on value-added products such as ethanol and molasses and has completely transformed its packaging strategies to meet market demands and capture and recapture new and old markets, locally, regionally, and internationally. The industry hopes to achieve 100,000 tonnes of sugar, surpassing its actual production in 2020 of 88,000 tonnes.

As for the rice industry, markets are also expected to be increased on a global scale and quotas are being negotiated to be increased in Brazil to 34,000 tonnes from 10,000 tonnes of rice for this year. Guyana and Brazil are also in discussion to build a deep-water port and develop a railway connection, where goods can be easily transported between the two countries, thereby benefitting both countries immensely.

The livestock industry is also on the verge of tapping into Middle Eastern markets as the country is already self-sufficient in its production. Modern abattoirs are being constructed throughout the country for processing pork and beef to improve marketable value.

Many families in Guyana are agri-dependent and as such, the government is committed to ensuring that small-scale farmers are also able to benefit from development of the sector through improved market access and technological advancement (use of drones to monitor their crops and communicating with the ministry through extension services in distant areas of the country).
The entire country has agricultural potential, and the government seeks to ensure that all have access to the resources needed to exceed and become profitable.

As such, the government has allocated $50 million into Region Nine to enhance agricultural production in this region. Region Nine’s biggest advantage is the availability of rich farming lands to support large-scale agriculture. The government believes this region can contribute greatly to the country’s economy and as such, is committed to providing incentives, technical advice and other resources farmers may need to improve their production.

Since farming is a traditional mechanism in Guyana, the government is working to ensure that the next step for the sector is implementation of agro-processing facilities around the country, to provide farmers the opportunity to add value to their produce through packaging, which will help to meet more market needs. The biggest obstacle in this initiative is the cost of electricity to maintain the facility. To combat this drawback, the government is working on providing alternative energy sources that will be cheaper to farmers.

Despite the current agricultural education courses provided in the country, there is still need for higher levels of education in the field of research and development, which is beyond the country’s potential to provide. However, India has provided an opportunity to have individuals pursue their masters and PhDs in agriculture through fully funded scholarships.

The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has also been given the opportunity to collaborate with the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) to enhance agricultural processes within the country in developing planting techniques and pest and disease management, among other areas of concern. The Indian Government has in the last year showed interest in assisting the country in whatever way it can, but much emphasis has been placed on the agricultural sector in the sugar, rice and aquaculture industries.

The sector still needs investors to provide the funding needed to transform it. These investments will help to create thousands of jobs for the country, which would have spin-off effects on other sectors, especially the tourism sector as hotels and restaurants also need fruits and vegetables to prepare their menus and foreigners will also want to support the local markets. There will also be lower unemployment rates, increased Gross Domestic Product (GDP); increased domestic incomes; lower rates of poverty, along with increased economic activities for Guyana.

As the government seeks to find more regional and international markets for produce, the foreign income of the country will increase. In the coming years, Guyana will not only be able to provide food security for the country, but will also be able to comfortably supply Caribbean markets.