WITH much focus being placed on reducing Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, the government will soon ramp up production of corn and soya bean, with the construction of a processing plant.

The Ministry of Finance Mid-Year report revealed that construction of the foundation and installation of a corn and soya bean processing plant will commence in the second half of the year and is expected to be completed by February 2023.

The processing plant, according to the report, will provide a drying and storage facility for the corn and soya farmers in the Tacama area.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, in a previous interview with the Guyana Chronicle disclosed that works were in progress to extend the farm in the Tacama Savannahs to some 4,000 acres.

“Last year, we would have [sic] started the trial of 125 acres and it was very successful and we harvested three tonnes per hectare and that is aligned in getting the kind of production we want; because of that, we said we will expand to 3,000-4,000 acres this year and we will continuously increase so the next three years we can expand to 25, 000,” Mustapha said.

He further explained that if the government is able to further expand production within the next three years, the country will not only become a supplier to the regional market, but will also be self-sufficient in producing its own feed for livestock.

“Now if we can move to 25,000 acres that means we will be self-sufficient two times per year and we will also be a net exporter.”

Meanwhile, the minister noted that Guyana received high praise at the recently concluded Agri Investment Forum and Expo in Trinidad and Tobago.

“At the investment expo… a lot of countries were excited and they quoted Guyana as an example and they are looking at Guyana to reduce the food-import bill in terms of corn and soya, so we can have our own feed for livestock, so this is very good for us as a country,” he said.

He added: “Agriculture is taking the region by storm in terms of moving the agri-foods system forward, so it’s not only corn and soya bean we looking at.”

INFRASTRUCTURE
In addition, to increase farmers’ access to the Tacama area, a 47 kilometre road is being constructed from Ituni to Tacama. Under Phase One of the Ituni-Tacama road, construction of 18 kilometres is currently underway and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2022.

Phase two of the Ituni-Tacama road will see an additional 29 kilometres being completed, which is expected to commence in the second half of the year.

As part of the 2021 national budget, some $500M was allocated to improve the requisite infrastructure, and according to Minister Mustapha, rehabilitation works on the main access to access the savannah road, have been completed.

“What we have been doing, we have been putting a lot of necessary allocations to build infrastructure. This year alone we have completed the 45-kilometre roadway.”
Additional road works are ongoing with local and Brazilian contractors.

“We have already started the second phase of the road there; contractors there are working, contractors from Brazil and a local contractor, they are working to develop the roadway.”

Meanwhile, another contract has been awarded for the building of silos to store the grain.

“We have already awarded the contract to build the silos and the joint facility, right now, as I’m speaking, parts are coming in the country and, hopefully, by the end of this year that entire infrastructure will be completed.”

Once these works are completed, Minister Mustapha said he was optimistic that Guyana will be the premier supplier of corn and soya bean in the Caribbean region.
“I’m hoping and I’m very optimistic that Guyana will be one of the powerhouses for producing this product and helping the Caribbean,” he said.