THE third regional Agri-Investment Forum and Expo organised by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) took place in Guyana last weekend at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, has declared it a success.

The event, which was the second expo of its kind to be held in Guyana and saw attendance by several high-level delegations from Suriname, The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Belize, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Mustapha, during a press conference on Monday, told reporters that this year’s event showcased products from just about 150 exhibitors, both locally and regionally, and over 80 agro-processors.

The event also featured a farmers’ market, which allowed patrons to purchase a variety of fresh produce at unbeatable prices.
“Overall, this year’s Agri-Investment Forum and Expo was a success. Very soon we will begin preliminary plans for next year’s expo which promises to be even better,” Mustapha said.
The forum was developed to create a platform for various areas that contribute to the development of the agriculture sector, both locally and regionally, to be discussed, as well as to give players in the sector an opportunity to network and showcase their products and services.

During the first two days of the expo, several momentous projects were launched. On Friday, Presidenr Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali, launched a US $4.5 M hydroponics programme for youths from Regions Two, Five and 10 that will form part of the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme.
On Saturday, Prime Minister, Hon. Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips launched the country’s and CARICOM Region’s first Zinc-enriched bio-fortified rice variety – the GRDB-IICA-17. This is indeed a game changer as it will allow farmers to benefit from preferential prices while also allowing consumers to benefit from the required levels of zinc, a critical nutrient needed for effective immune health and metabolic functions.

The Ministry of Agriculture also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Cuba for the provision of Agricultural and Forestry Technical Assistance Services. The objective of the MoU is to establish the general framework of co-operation between the Ministry of Agriculture of Cuba and the Ministry of Agriculture of Guyana in vegetable products, livestock and animal products, bee-keeping, forestry and other areas of interest.

At the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in Belize back in 2022, it was announced that Guyana would host the region’s first agriculture Regional Agri-Investment Forum and Expo. The second was held in Trinidad & Tobago later that same year.
This year, in Guyana, the conference was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, from October 20-22.
Already, CARICOM has achieved 57 per cent of its food production targets.