SUGAR and rice have always been the backbone of the agricultural sector, even though the former has seen its contribution to the economy decline progressively over the past decade. Part of the difficulty faced by sugar had been the precipitate decline in the price of sugar following the removal of European Union’s (EU) subsidy on sugar under the Lome Agreement.

Rice production has since been on the uptick, especially since the PPP/C assumed office on October 1992. The price of rice on the world market has seen some fluctuations from time to time, but farmers persisted and today rice production has seen record levels of production. More lands were opened up for rice cultivation which, coupled with better husbandry practices and higher-yielding varieties, have raised rice production and productivity to new levels.

Only recently, construction works have commenced on two all-weather roads at Nos. 58 and 52 Villages on the Upper Corentyne, which when completed will see a significant increase in rice production. The 25-kilometre road will go all the way from No. 58 Village to the Canje Creek. This will open up thousands of acres of virgin lands. A similar road will be built from No. 52 Village to the Canje Creek which, taken together, will open up over 50,000 acres of land for agricultural purposes. These are indeed transformational infrastructural projects which will impact in a big way on agricultural output not only in Region Six, but throughout the country as a whole.

The PPP/C administration is going beyond rice and sugar.  The government is now preparing the ground for a new line of crops, namely, soya beans and corn, which was successfully piloted and hold out great promise for further expansion. This development, apart from providing inputs to the stockfeed industry, could also be a valuable source of foreign-exchange earnings and job creation. According to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, harvesting is proceeding well and even though it is still on a trial run, the initial results showed that Guyana has the potential not only to cater for local industry needs, but also for overseas markets.

The production of soya beans and corn is the brainchild of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who indicated his interest in making the country self-sufficient in protein for the poultry industry. This initiative has to be seen within the broader framework of reducing the food- import bill within CARICOM, which stands at over U.S.$ 5B annually. Guyana alone currently spends approximately U.S.$25M annually on protein for the poultry industry.

Guyana has the potential to capitalise on this huge food-import market in CARICOM, and with Guyana now playing a lead role in terms of agricultural development in the Region, the stage is set for a regional response to a food solution which could reduce dependency on imported food items to satisfy regional needs. Guyana, with its vast agricultural lands, fertile soil, fresh water and fishing potential could very well be the breadbasket of the Caribbean.

The PPP/C administration must be commended for making agriculture a national priority and for broadening the range of agricultural products beyond the traditional areas of sugar and rice. This is indeed forward thinking by the administration and a sure way of avoiding the risk of the Dutch disease often associated with de-emphasising of agriculture in favour of oil.