PARTICIPANTS of the Youth Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship programme have started to reap the fruits of their labour, with the first commercial transaction being recorded recently.

Acknowledging this milestone was President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, who conceptualised and launched the programme in January.
In a post on his official Facebook page, the Head of State shared photographs of participants making their first sale of what appeared to be fresh, green lettuces
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Through the Youth Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship programme, the government constructed shade houses and invested in hydroponics and vertical agriculture to produce high-valued crops such as broccoli, cauliflower and carrot.

This simple yet significant project has the potential to empower young people to earn millions of dollars from the crops being produced.
The crops were identified based on the country’s consumption pattern and economic indicators, which signal high demand for the crops.

Broccoli, cauliflower and carrot form a large part of the country’s food import bill, with data suggesting that consumption of the vegetables is only increasing with each passing year.
As reported by the Guyana Chronicle, in 2018, the import value for carrot, broccoli and cauliflower was $1.583 billion, while in 2019 and 2021 the import value stood at $1.962 billion and $2.626 billion, respectively.

Not only will local production contribute to Guyana’s food security strategy, it could also add around $70 million in revenue to the economy each year, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

Under this initiative, the government has incorporated a company named “One Guyana,” and youths who are a part of the project are shareholders. The company is being guided by an advisory committee which includes a representative from the private sector to help to implement a highly successful business model

President Ali said that the intention of the project is to create jobs, improve livelihoods, encourage entrepreneurship, and build local capacity and empower youths.

“The resources from oil and gas give us the opportunities to open up opportunities in these areas and this is where the real benefit will be, this is where Guyanese will benefit the most; these opportunities, creating it and giving you the ownership so that you are part of it and you own it, you build it, you manage it,” he said.

Further, he said that the project contributes to “real local content,” since Guyana will be able to supply the needs of hotels and other consumers rather than importing the costly crops. The project will also contribute to the country’s agricultural diversification plans.

“All of this would lead to reducing our import bill cost, saving foreign currency, reducing the impact of imported inflation and, more importantly, building capacity, building human resource capacity for local consumption and also the next phase is regional consumption,” President Ali said.

It was reported, on Wednesday, that Guyana is strengthening relations with several islands in the region, including Barbados, Antigua, Jamaica and St Lucia, and mutually beneficial projects are expected.

Speaking at the recent launch of a Black Belly Sheep project in Region Five, President said: “Already, we are seeing tremendous progress in our relationship with Barbados, for example where very soon we will be turning the sod for a Guyana-Barbados food terminal…. We’ve already expressed our unwavering commitment to the removal of every barrier that will prevent trade between the two countries,” the President said.

On the international front, President Ali announced that a team from West Jet Cargo that he met during a recent trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be visiting Guyana shortly to look at adding a cargo facility for direct export to North America.

“These are all initiatives that we are fast-tracking and we are going after in a very aggressive manner,” Dr. Ali said.

He also stressed the importance of partnerships at the local level to meet the demands, especially when it comes to reducing Guyana’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.