– Agriculture Ministry aims to increase, tilapia, tambaqui catches

TO further boost the aquaculture sector, the Agriculture Ministry will soon begin expanding its marine ‘cage culture’ project across the country.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, said the pilot project, which began in October of this year, will see much focus on increasing production in the hinterland regions.

“We would have started out the cage trial for what the president would have talked about, it’s very formative and by next year we will increase to different parts of the country, especially the hinterland areas,” Mustapha said.

He further noted that the government is working with suppliers from the Republic of China to secure additional cages to roll out the project’s expansion.

“We are hoping that with the co-operation of China, we can receive from them over 50 cages in a matter of months so those cages will be going into the different areas across the country.”

With the expansion, Mustapha noted that the ministry is hoping to increase the catches of tilapia and tambaqui fish not only to meet the country’s market demands but also to aid in the reduction of the region’s food import bill.

“All these things will be new additions to the traditional way of agriculture in Guyana. I am hoping that we can get more production in these areas so we can move the process forward in reducing the food import bill.”

In January of this year, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced the rollout of several innovative solutions to ensure the livelihood of fisherfolk is maintained.

At the time, Guyana’s fisheries industry was battling with a decline in fish catches.

President Ali had said the marine cage project would guarantee fisherfolk close to $8 million annually.

President Ali noted that the initiative would assist with reducing operation costs. He said profits gained would meaningfully enhance the livelihood of residents throughout the district.

A marine cage is a system set up in lakes, reservoirs or ponds to confine fish. It allows water to pass freely between the fish and surrounding water resources, thus maintaining good water quality and removing waste.

Further, fishersfolk across the country had received a 100,000 one-off cash grant to buttress the decline in catches.

Some 7,500 fisherfolk benefitted from this initiative.