ALL the requisite preparations have been made for the eagerly-awaited Agri Investment Forum and Expo scheduled for today at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), located in Liliendaal.

During a press briefing and walkthrough on Wednesday at the ACCC, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, accompanied by members of the planning committee, updated the media on the various activities slated for the event, which will be held from October 20 to 22.
“Speakers for the opening ceremony include CARICOM’s Secretary General, Her Excellency Dr Carla Barnette, Prime Minister of Barbados Hon. Mia Motley, His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who will deliver the feature address amongst others,” the minister stated.
Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, will be delivering a keynote presentation during the forum and will facilitate panel discussions on how Guyana and CARICOM can work to reduce the region’s massive food import bill.

The minister said 150 exhibitors and over 80 agro-processors will be present to showcase their diverse products.
“A number of international agencies will also be present. So far, delegations from Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines have confirmed participation,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Ravindradat Budhram, and his team were also present and were finalising traffic arrangements.
The forum themed ‘Achieving Vision 25 by 2025’ seeks to highlight discussions on the CARICOM region’s hefty food import bill and how countries can further collaborate to reduce it. The event which is the second to be hosted in Guyana will also stimulate investments in the agriculture sector. It will be open from 10:00 hours to 22:00 hours.