– Agriculture Minister says
-283 black belly sheep expected from Barbados by 1st quarter of 2024

WITH Guyana setting the standard for agriculture in the Caribbean, regional leaders and their delegations continue to flock the oil-rich nation to engage in discussions and seek help/advice from government officials on how they can develop the agriculture sector in their respective regions.

In an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, explained that he met with the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and National Security of Barbados, Indar Weir, and his team to discuss updates on several collaborative initiatives between Guyana and the Island of the Flying Fish.

“The meeting that I had with the Barbados delegation was a fruitful one, where we followed up on issues that we have had over time. Some of those issues are at a technical level, but I have a full team from the Ministry of Agriculture in Guyana and Barbados that is working to ensure that we remove any barriers so that we can have a smooth flow in accomplishing our goals.

“Guyana is currently helping Barbados with the shade house programme, and I am pleased to say that we have already supplied them with 12 shade houses so far, and very soon we will be supplying them with an additional 35 shade houses. Some of our technical people from Guyana will be going to Barbados to set it up for them and to also examine the types of crops that they will be planting.”

After meeting with the Barbadian Agriculture Minister and his team, Minister Mustapha said that he will be coordinating with them and assisting them to set up the programme to ensure that the island and their people successfully benefit from it. Mustapha also added that the Barbados Aquaculture Programme, which was started a few months ago, was set up by the Guyanese team, led by Mr. Simon Shaw.

“We have also discussed the black belly sheep programme, and I am pleased to relate that I was told by the delegation that we will receive another 283 black belly sheep from them by the first quarter of next year. That will bring the count to 1,000 black belly sheep received from Barbados. The programme will be rolled out shortly, physically, so that we can increase the number of sheep and create that brand that both President Ali and the Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, would have wanted us to work on,” Minister Mustapha stated.

He also noted that arrangements are in place with the Guyanese farmers to ensure that a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables will be exported to Barbados. The agriculture minister explained that Guyana currently exports small quantities of fruits and vegetables to Barbados now; it will be done on a much larger scale.
While Guyana is helping Barbados in this sector, the Agriculture Minister said, “We are leading the charge in the Caribbean when it comes to agriculture, and we are working with the leaders of many of these islands to ensure that we assist them to develop their sector.”

Meanwhile, Mustapha further added that Guyana has been working with Trinidad and Tobago to help them resuscitate their rice industry. He also added that they are looking to help them with their shade house programme as well as aquaculture. Upon his recent visit to Guyana, Minister Mustapha said that the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Philip Joseph Pierre, requested their help in developing the agriculture sector in his territory.

“Guyana is not only discussing and working with Barbados; we are working with all of our CARICOM countries,” he related.
Additionally, the agriculture minister said that, under the previous administration, Guyana had lost its leading position to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the sector. However, he explained that it is because of President Ali’s leadership and commitment to bringing people together under the One Guyana and One Caribbean umbrella that the country has once again made its way to the top.

“Today, under President Ali’s leadership and believing in a One Guyana and One Caribbean lifestyle for all, we are a shining light in CARICOM, and they are looking forward greatly to Guyana’s leadership towards reducing the food bill,” he added.