–Guyana, India-based company sign MoU for millet cultivation

THE Ministry of Agriculture recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UPL Limited, an India-based company, making way for trials to commence for cultivation of millets.
Last March, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha visited India and participated in a round-table discussion at the Global Millet ‘Shree Anna’ Conference with his Indian counterpart, Honourable Narendra Singh, and other ministers from across the world to discuss fostering millets production in countries like Guyana to increase food security.

Prior to that, His Excellency, President Dr. Irfaan Ali, disclosed during a virtual address at the Inauguration of the Global Millet Conference in New Delhi, India, that Guyana will soon commence cultivation trials for production of millets in Regions Four, Nine, and 10 to support the transition to large-scale production of the seed locally.

In his address, the Head of State noted that millet production will help support poverty reduction efforts in the region and that the areas earmarked for the trials represent the profit zone in which similar crops like corn and soya are adaptive and being produced on a large scale.

“Guyana looks forward to strengthening its co-operation with India to kickstart large, medium, and small-scale production of millets. India is the largest millet producer in the world, and, through collaboration, Guyana hopes to embark soon on the sustainable production of millets,” the Head of State said.

The undertaking will see UPL Limited providing technological and agriculture inputs while the government, through the ministry, will assist with developing approximately 200 acres for millet cultivation.

During the signing, Minister Mustapha said that Guyana was pleased to commence trials for millet cultivation. He noted that Guyana was leading the agriculture agenda in CARICOM in keeping with the region’s Vision 25 by 2025 and that millet would contribute significantly to those efforts.

Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown worldwide as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food.