WITH the objective of ensuring that farmers have access to equipment needed for the job at hand and to protect the environment, the Government of Guyana continues to invest heavily in the coconut industry.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha revealed that an additional two coconut fibre machines arrived in Guyana from Brazil and are currently at the Hope Coconut Estate, on the East Coast of Demerara.

According to the agriculture minister, with the aid of these machines the husk that is burnt or discarded in an “unacceptable” manner will now be valuable to Guyanese.

“These machines, including the one that is already at Hope Estate, will help us ensure that we use the by-product of the coconut. This will also help to complement our crops by using the fibre to mulch around the small and vulnerable plants around the country. We are experiencing a lot of heat now because El Niño is predicted for later this year, so we also have to consider that these fibre machines will significantly help the farmers as well as the agriculture sector,” he said.

Minister Mustapha added that as President Dr. Irfaan Ali leads the way for us to achieve a cleaner, and healthier environment, we must also play a role in making this a reality.

“These machines will help with that, especially in the Pomeroon, and other areas that produce coconuts in large quantities. These are the modernisation and the transformation that we are working towards in the agriculture sector,” he said.

According to the minister, he, along with other officials from the agricultural sector will be working with different groups of farmers throughout Guyana, so that they can supply the machines with husks, and in turn, use the fibre to make value-added products.

Minister Mustapha also explained that the coconut is one of the most prized crops in Guyana and throughout the world, and it is also generating a lot of cash for the nation.
He also added that Guyana has joined the global coconut community.

The minister said that he predicts that in less than three years, the number of coconut acres would rise by 1,000. He said he has already observed a phenomenal increase of 5,000 acres.
Meanwhile, Ricky Roopchand, General Manager of Hope Estate, had revealed in a previous interview with this publication that the coconut fibre machines will shred the coconut husk and produce two products: the coconut fibre and coconut peat.

In addition to the fibre’s usual applications, Roopchand stated that the government will also take into account its potential application as seat padding.

According to him, the government’s long-term and future plan is to set up pilot projects across the nation to move it from the fibre stage to something that is actually marketable in terms of packaging, even though “we” are not at that stage right now.

It was explained that the fibre needs to go through another process before it can be used for the padding of car seats.

Additionally, it is anticipated that Indian professionals in the coconut industry will visit Guyana soon.

The purpose of their visit is to impart knowledge and advise government representatives, particularly those from the agricultural sector and farmers in the coconut industry.