–to be led by youths and women – President Ali

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali, during a community outreach in Karasabai, Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) on Saturday, said that his government will work along with the villages in South Pakaraimas to launch a special agriculture project led by youths and women.

The Head of State announced this while meeting with residents from villages of South Pakaraimas at Karasabai.

According to a post on President Ali’s official Facebook page, the project will be done in consultation with the villagers.

“In every community, jointly with your resources and some of ours, I want us to see how we can launch an agricultural project that is sustainable but must be led by young people and women as far as possible,” the President is quoted as saying.

According to the brief post, the Head of State also noted that issues in the specific villages with regard to infrastructure, healthcare, water and other issues will be addressed and he has since instructed the Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall to examine options where the road can be raised and upgraded in a phased manner.
Seven tractors and two All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) were also handed over to the residents by President Ali.

Other officials who accompanied the President include Chairman Bryan Allicock; National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia; Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken; and Head of GOINVEST, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop.

With development in almost every area of agriculture, the government is playing a major role in Guyana’s overall contribution to the ‘25 by 25’ initiative.
The ‘25 by 25’ initiative is a pledge by the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to reduce the region’s food import bill by at least 25 percent by 2025.
Research has shown that the region imports, from out of the region, approximately 80 percent of the food that it consumes, which amounts to approximately US$4B.

Though for years there have been calls for greater domestic food production to address the massive food import bill, the proposal found reinvigorated energy among the region’s governments last year as it faced some of the worst sides of food insecurity that the world experienced due to the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The war had further exacerbated food security concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guyana is seen as one of the leading countries in the region with the ability to increase production in the region and fill some of the gaps.

In Guyana, the government has been committing many resources, including lands and funding towards this initiative.

“What we are doing in agriculture is trying to create a lot of opportunities for young people, using technology, innovation, research and development; more of an entrepreneurial approach to the expansion of food production and agriculture in the region,” the President had previously noted.

He explained that the expansion in the agriculture sector is being built to match the growth taking place all across Guyana, in all of the other sectors, and fuelled by the massive gains Guyana is seeing from its oil-and-gas sector.

While Guyana is earning significant income from its oil resources, the government has maintained that agriculture must continue to hold its own. To ensure that this status quo is maintained, the agriculture ministry is implementing a series of initiatives in the various agriculture pillars to provide the necessary resources to drive the sector forward.
The money from that sector is being used to fund Guyana’s diversification in other sectors.