THE numerous opportunities emerging from the Agri-Investment Forum and Expo are expected to grow as this year’s event will attract several Heads of State from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and over 100 businesses from across the region.

The Agri-Investment Forum and Expo will be held from October 20 to 22, under the theme, “Achieving Vision 25 by 2025.”

According to a press release, following preparations for the upcoming expo, the Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Tuesday, visited the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) to conduct a site visit.

Saying that this year’s expo will be bigger and better, Minister Mustapha in an invited comment, announced that a number of Heads of State within the CARICOM region are expected to attend.

“He also said that several corporate bodies and investors from Guyana, across the region and internationally have also registered and will be participating in this year’s event,” the release said.

“Leaving out local businesses, we’ve already had expressions of interest from over 100 businesses from within the region. We hope that by the end of the registration period, October 5, we’ll have those persons confirmed,” the minister related in the release.

Speaking on the layout of the exposition, he said: “Similar to last year, we have areas for agro-processors, large agricultural machinery, a farmers’ market, and a live animal display. We also have larger booths for corporate businesses that are being set up.”

He added that the forum aims to cater for every category of persons involved in the agricultural sector.

“As it relates to the forum aspect, we will be having several panel discussions and presentations by a number of officials from Guyana and across the region on critical areas such as food security, women and youth in agriculture, financing in agriculture, and the integration of climate-smart technology into the sector,” the minister explained in the release.

Speaking on the potential opportunities, he stated that a number of investors, who attended last year’s expo, have been coming to Guyana to invest in agriculture.

“Last year, an investment group from Israel attended the expo. That same group is currently constructing the largest hydroponic farm in the Caribbean in Mon Repos on the East Coast of Demerara. So, this expo will further display not only Guyana’s agricultural potential but also that of the CARICOM region. It will propel us as we move closer towards achieving ‘Vision 25 by 2025’”, the Minister said.