Dear Editor,
THE systematic and scientific manner in which the agriculture sector is being competently managed is a guarantee that Guyana will never suffer from the Dutch disease, which simply put, is the total or partial neglect of the other sectors due to the booming oil and gas sector. This government’s policies on agriculture are commendable and beyond any condemnation, quite unlike its predecessor’s.

The Honourable Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, at his fourth capacity-packed outreach in Region Six made it abundantly clear that the achievements which the agriculture sector has made in just over a year has once again catapulted Guyana as the leader in food production in CARICOM. The minister not only boasted that Guyana will close the 40 per cent gap in food imports by 2025 but outlined carefully crafted and achievable strategic plans.

He explained to his packed audience that new roads will be opened which will give farmers accessibility to thousands of hectares of virgin arable lands. This is already in the making. This will not only boost the production of rice and other crops such as citrus, but will create employment.

He gave some examples: 52 and 58 backlands up to the Canje Creek and Moleson Creek in Region Six. I could recall that a similar plan to build an all-weather road at 52-58 Villages was given to the former Minister of Agriculture and a discussion held with a large-scale farmer in Berbice but was unceremoniously dumped.

The Coalition was simply not interested in the agriculture sector. They had a fixation on oil and gas. This was most definitely a guaranteed recipe for the Dutch curse. But the Coalition ignored the mass condemnation and criticisms. Even today the leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan brags about the ‘competence’ of Noel Holder. He always sees things in a distorted manner. There are volumes which can be written about the decimation of the agriculture sector by the Coalition.

In addition, the minister outlined the ongoing progress in the cultivation of high value crops, such as broccoli and cauliflower and the establishing of agro-processing plants in various regions. In this regard, there are numerous major investors who are engaging the government. He also emphasised the need to change the perception of agriculture and get young people involved in the many lucrative ventures available in the sector.

He also outlined the many infrastructural development plans in the pipeline such as the deep water harbour, the road to Brazil, the installation of new pumps and the building of a Hope-sized canal between Adventure and #43 Villages. Like any investment there is a timeline after which it will bear dividend and the minister made a commitment that his ministry and all the others will work together with all farmers to ensure that the objectives of his ministry, both short and long-term will be achieved.

In conclusion, the agriculture sector was not only neglected by the Coalition but there were deliberate acts and omissions to annihilate it since Coalition leaders saw the sector as PPP-based and a threat which must be eliminated. The former President, David Granger, had made it clear that ‘rice farming is private business’, just read between the lines.
Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf