THE Caribbean region is striving to achieve at least 25 per cent reduction in the regional food import bill by 2025 (25 by 25), which is expected to take massive investment from both the private and public sectors.

Here in Guyana, the government is doing its part to make the agriculture landscape all the more conducive for private investment, with massive spending to improve agriculture infrastructure across the country.

Under the Ministry of Agriculture, some $2.612 billion in agriculture-related projects are ongoing across nine of the 10 administration regions, the biggest of which is the $569 million dredging of the Pomeroon mouth which is going to open up 8,000 acres of land for rice and cash crop farmers and residents.

This is all part of the works that include the sum of $22 billion that was budgeted for the Ministry of Agriculture in the 2022 budget.

When it comes to farming, proper roads, particularly farm to market roads and drainage and irrigation are key infrastructure and these are being given priority by the government.

“By allocating a large amount of money to drainage and irrigation that would tell you that the government has interest in helping the farmers. Without drainage and irrigation, the farmers cannot survive. You would get flooding, you would get drought or other issues. By having a good NDIA programme it’s a boost to the farmers so that they don’t have to get these things themselves and burden themselves financially,” said Halim Khan, President of the Region Three Chamber of Commerce.

Region Three is among those regions that depend heavily on farming activity in the regional economy.

There is currently approximately $473 million in agriculture projects currently ongoing in that region.
This includes the construction of the $200 million pump station at Greenwich Park which will benefit approximately 2,000 acres of both farm and residential land and another pump station at A-Line Sluice, costing $80 million, which will offer benefits to over 3,000 acres of residential and farmlands for cash crops and rice in Versailles and the back of Canal No. 1 Polder.

Another $200 million in projects are also being done at Canals Polder, Kamuni, Henrietta in Leguan and Friendship, Wakenaam and Vriesland on the West Demerara

Region Two, another primary farming region will be benefitting from a total of $1.154 billion in works.

Aside from the dredging of the Pomeroon River, there is the $150 million rehabilitation of the pump station at Andrews, a $108 million sluice at Capoey and the $105 million empoldering of farm lands in upper and lower Pomeroon and Supernaam creek.

In Region Five, another $626 million in works are also ongoing. The construction of two heavy-duty bridges in Mahaica, at a cost of $32 million, will make it easier for farmers to access their farmlands and reduce the distance of transporting their produce to the market.

“With cultivation there must be proper drainage and irrigation. We have seen that the government has taken a bold step to ensure that Region Five, being the largest rice producing and cattle rearing region in the country, have the drainage network across the region cleared on time. The irrigation structures too, and to improve on the drainage capacity by installing additional pumps in the different areas,” Region Five Regional Chairman, Vickram Ramphal, commented, as he spoke of the commendable work being done in his region to improve lives for the many farmers.

Region Five is Guyana’s largest rice producing and cattle rearing region.

Below we outline the ongoing major agricultural projects being done in the various regions.

REGION TWO 
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $1.154B

Project: Dredging of the Pomeroon river mouth
Cost: $569 million
Beneficiaries:  8,000 acres of rice and cash crop farmers’ land, residents

Project: Rehabilitation of Pump Station at Andrews
Cost: $150 million
Beneficiaries:  5,000 acres of rice land

Project: Construction of Pump Station at Charity
Cost: $87 million
Beneficiaries: 400 families and farmers by the draining 200 acres of cash crop farmlands

Project: Rehabilitation of Pump Station, Cozier
Cost: $80 million
Beneficiaries: 2,500 acres of cash crop farmland

Project: Construction of Sluice at Capoey
Cost: $108 million
Beneficiaries: 2,000 acres of rice land

Project: Construction of Access Road at Onderneeming
Cost: $55 million
Beneficiaries: 10,000 acres of cash crops and permanent crops’ farmland

Project: Empoldering of farm lands in upper and lower Pomeroon and Supernaam creek
Cost: $105 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 1,500 acres of prime agricultural lands
 
REGION THREE
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $473 million

Project: Construction of pump station in the Greenwich Park area
Cost: $200 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 2000 acres of both farm and residential land

Project: Construction of Pump station at A-Line Sluice, WBD
Cost: $80 million
Beneficiaries: 3,000 acres of residential and farmlands for cash crops and rice in Versailles and the back of Canal No. 1 Polder

Project: Drainage Improvement at Canals Polder, WBD
Cost: $80 million
Beneficiaries:  3,000 acres of residential and farmlands for Cash crops and permanent crops.

Project: Construction of Control Structure and Revetment at Kamuni, WBD
Cost: $16 million
Beneficiaries: 1,000 acres of farm land

Project: Rehabilitation of Drainage Structure at Henrietta, Leguan
Cost: $17 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 1,500 acres farmland and residential area creating opportunity for farmers and a better life for residents

Project: Construction of New sluice At Friendship Wakenaam –
Cost: $80 million

Project: Construction of drainage structures at Vriesland
Cost: $40 million

REGION FOUR 
Total Costs of Ongoing Projects: $60 Million

Project: Rehabilitation of Alliance bridge
Cost: $13 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 250 acres of farmlands. As a result, abandoned land will be resuscitated, resulting in an increase in agriculture production

Project: rehabilitation of culverts in Diamond
Cost: $14 Million
Beneficiaries: Residents of the Diamond area

Project: Construction of Access road to Hope Drainage Structure
Cost: $33 Million
Beneficiaries: Residents and farmlands
 
REGION FIVE
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $626M
Project: Construction of a pump station at Cottage, WCB
Cost: $200 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 38,600 acres of farmland, and the residents between the Mahaica and Mahaicony River

Project: Construction of Mahaicony Creek Right Bank, Farm to Market Road
Cost: $233 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 10,000 acres of farmlands

Project: Rehabilitation of Union Sluice
Cost: $20 million
Beneficiaries: 20,000 acres of farmlands

Project: Construction of Mahaicony Creek Right Bank, Farm to Market Road, Mahaicony Creek-Phase 2
Cost: $65 million
Beneficiaries: Opening up 30,000 acres of land

Project: Construction of Onverwagt Access Road Extension
Cost: $108 million
Beneficiaries: Over 12,000 acres of farmland
 
REGION SIX
Total Costs of Ongoing Projects: $196M

Project: Construction of Pump Station at Black Bush Polder
Cost: $150 million
Beneficiaries:  Black Bush Front lands

Project: Construction of Farm to Market Road – Albion, Chesney & Hogtown
Cost: $26 million

Project: Rehabilitation of Drainage channels in BPP
Cost: $20 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 5000 acres of rice land
 
REGION SEVEN
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $20M

Project: Rehabilitation of Culverts
Cost: $20 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 5000 residents
 
REGION EIGHT
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $20M

Project: Drainage & irrigation works
Cost: $20 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 2000 residents

REGION NINE
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $10M

Project: Drainage & irrigation works
Cost: $10 million
Beneficiaries: Approximately 2000 residents

REGION 10 
Total Cost of Ongoing Projects: $253M

Project: Construction of Drainage & Irrigation Structures at West Watooka, Linden
Cost: $53 million
Beneficiaries: Over 1200 acres of farmland