PRESIDENT, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Thursday, lead a technical team to several communities along the Berbice River, where assessments were done for the large-scale production of black eye beans and red beans.

“We visited Tacama, Kimbia, Mara, and Moleson Creek. The aim is to bring at least 1,000 acres into cultivation before the end of the year,” the President wrote on his Facebook page.
In a previous interview, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha said the initiative is part of the government’s vision to position Guyana as a hub for food production.

“We can produce all the needs for the Caribbean [and so] we are looking to start some cultivation. First of all, we’ll look at the areas in Region One. We are looking to build facilities in Region One as long as the soil type is good there and hopefully, we can start large-scale production of black-eye peas, coming out of Region One,” Minister Mustapha said.
He added that Guyanese investors have already signalled an interest in making investments in this large-scale production.

The government is making major investments in large-scale agricultural production so that Guyana and the Caribbean can produce its own food and reduce the large food importation bill by 25 per cent by 2025.