THE Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has met with Demerara Distillers Ltd. Chairman, Komal Samaroo, and his delegation to finalize a project with the LR Group to establish a dairy farm in Guyana.

The project is the first state-of-the-art dairy farm in the Caribbean and will improve food security in the region. Israel, a world leader in dairy farming and agricultural technology, is looking to deepen its relations with Guyana.

The LR Group, in a joint venture with Demerara Distillers, will bring expertise and experience in implementing similar projects to the dairy farm project. The LR Group also sees this as the first step towards broader co-operation with Guyana in various areas, including commercial agriculture, water supply, renewable energy, and healthcare.

It has been reported that Guyana imports about US$25 million in milk products annually.

A large-scale dairy plantation is needed to bolster Guyana’s agricultural production and help with diversification efforts.

The company needs some 600 acres of land to set up its industrial-style farm, which will be used to house the buildings for some 500 heifers that will be imported, an administration building, a solar panel power grid, and the farm.

Reports indicate that the animals will not be on a free-range farm but rather in a confined environment equipped with temperature control for the animals to function in a comfortable environment. This approach has been utilized globally in dairy production to ensure the energy of the animal is spent on milk production.

The farming shed will be equipped with irrigation and wind-blowing systems which will act as a cooling mechanism for the animals should the temperature be too hot.

Further, to prevent manure pollution, the company will collect the manure to treat it and spread it along their fields to improve the production of the forage crops, which will be used to feed the animals.

The company noted that the forage would be harvested, stored, and brought to the animals’ table, so they don’t have to go out and waste any energy searching for food. In this way, more milk is produced from the smaller unit of production.

Apart from creating approximately 70 full-time employment opportunities, the dairy farm will also retail calves and older cattle to local farmers. This initiative can generate a spin-off effect and develop the beef production industry.

Additionally, the dairy farm initiative falls in line with CARICOM’s commitment to reduce its food importation bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

Meanwhile, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, in January, announced that a new regional agriculture technology campus will be built in Guyana as part of plans to leverage technology to increase food production.

As part of its efforts to expand the agriculture sector, President Ali noted that a regional agri-tech campus will be created to support the regional food hub. This is in keeping with the government’s commitment to advance the region’s food security strategy.

Recently, the first CARICOM Ministerial Taskforce (MTF) on Food Production and Food Security detailed their production data for 2022 and noted that products such as cocoa, dairy, meat, root crops, fruits, and poultry have already reached 96.13 per cent, 84.36 per cent, 72.28 per cent, 70.91 per cent, 70.77 per cent, and 70.19 per cent, respectively, for the targeted production volume set for the year 2025.

The MTF, in a statement, also indicated that last year, Guyana produced an estimated 20,195 MT of ginger and turmeric, 144,289 MT of root crops, 21,870 MT of fish, and 40,749 MT of coconut.

Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, noted that these are outstanding achievements for the task force, explaining that with these mechanisms in place, a level playing field is being created, making way for easier trade in agricultural products intra-regionally.

Mustapha, who chairs the MTF, said several priority areas had been identified for 2023, including agriculture insurance and financing, trade and E-agriculture, resource mobilization, and trade support.