GUYANA’S agriculture sector has been receiving significant recognition across the region as the country forges ahead with major investments and strategic solutions to reduce the country’s, and, by extension, the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha disclosed that several investors, both foreign and from the Guyanese Diaspora, have signalled a renewed interest in the country’s agriculture sector.

“We have a number of investors; more and more people are coming to Guyana to invest,” he said, adding: “We have a number of persons from the Guyanese Diaspora who want to come and invest in various sectors in agriculture.”

Noting that the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo held back in May served as a catalyst for investors, Minister Mustapha said:

“The investment forum was a catalyst to bring in investment and we have received a number of proposals coming in now.”

Following the forum, investors from Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Israel and other countries signalled their interest in various sub-sectors.

Most recently, the Israelis expressed their interest in hydroponics, a non-traditional way of growing crops.

This investment will see the increase in the number of shade houses used in the production of high-value crops such as broccoli, carrots and cauliflower at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

In addition to this establishment, another hydroponics farm near the Soesdyke-Linden Highway is underway.

This farm, once completed, is anticipated to be the largest hydroponics project in Latin America and the Caribbean. Blueberries, strawberries and other exotic crops could be grown there.

At the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM (Caribbean Community) held back in march, the decision was made to host the investment forum as a decisive step to achieving the ‘25 by 25’ agriculture target (reducing the region’s US$6 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025).

The premier event, which was held from May 19-21, saw over 500 delegates and 100 exhibitors participating. Over the three-day period, several regional heads met to foster discussions on their future plans to achieve the said target and to discuss the current grave global situation of the shortages and high prices of imported food fertilisers and other agricultural inputs as well as the severe problems affecting transportation and logistics.

Action plans to address food security, regional transportation, trade barriers and the inclusion of women and youth in the agriculture sector were also discussed at the forum.