–during meeting with President Ali, other key stakeholders
IN what is seen as a step towards greater cooperation between Guyana and Qatar, President Dr. Irfaan Ali and a team of government and private-sector officials met with executives from the Qatar Investment Authority, who learnt of local plans for the advancement of agriculture and other economic sectors.
During Thursday’s engagement with Abdulhadi F A Al-Hajri and Dany Farah Nakhoul of Qatar, President Ali related his government’s intention to make Guyana the hub for agriculture and food security in the Caribbean and farther afield.
In his message to commemorate Agriculture Month in October, President Ali had said that the government envisions that Guyana will play its part in helping the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to reduce its food-importation bill by 25 per cent by 2025.
“The envisaged transformation of the local agriculture sector will involve an inclusive approach, which will include the active participation of the government and the private sector, and continued engagements with farmers, agriculturalists, agronomists, veterinarians, food exporters, importers, academia, the scientific community and other stakeholders,” President Ali said.
While specific details of the meeting between local stakeholders and officials from the Qatar Investment Authority were not immediately available, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that agriculture was among the main topics discussed on Thursday.
It was reported too that President Ali pointed to numerous opportunities in other sectors which would contribute to the overall growth and development of Guyana.
President Ali told the gathering that the meeting was critical and could open up many opportunities for cooperation between the government, the local private sector and the Qatar Investment Authority.
Last year, President Ali had met with the Emir of Qatar, His Royal Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and discussed areas for collaboration in the agricultural sector through investments in the Halaal industry, expansion of the housing programme, the strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and support in other critical sectors including energy, oil and gas, services and infrastructure.
In 2019, Guyana and Qatar signed a Bilateral Air Services agreement which paved the way for future cooperation in investment, in trade, and air travel and also in the movement of people.
Notably, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait are all major oil-producing countries and Guyana has had diplomatic ties with these counties since the 1990s. With the announcement of its oil finds, Guyana is expected to be ‘on par’ with these countries, on a per-capita basis.
The team of high-level government ministers who met with the team from Qatar to advance further cooperation were Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Minister of Agriculture, Zukfikar Mustapha; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar.
President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, Rafeek Khan; President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Timothy Tucker; President of the Private Sector Commission, Paul Cheong; President of the Aircraft Owners Association, Gerald Gouveia jnr; and President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber, Manniram Prashad, were the private sector representatives.
(DPI)
