Ministry of Agriculture rebuffs Stabroek News editorial

RUBBISHING the claims made in a Stabroek News’ editorial on whether Guyana is truly on its way to reducing its food-import bill by 25 per cent by 2025, Janell Cameron, Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), outlined Guyana’s achievements that indicate that the country is indeed on its way to enhance the country’s food security.
The editorial published on November 2, 2023, titled “Missing the Link,” according to Cameron, failed to acknowledge not only the current market and the economic shocks from phenomena such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the steps taken by the current government within the agricultural sector.
She said that the government, through the ministry and the local private sector, has been working towards creating an enabling environment for the scaling up of production of the very commodities such as sausages, spices, special cuts of meat, eggs, honey and coffee.

Cameron said, in 2022, there were declines in the volume of vegetables (fresh, chilled, frozen or simply preserved), roots, tubers and other edible vegetable products; milk and milk products other than butter or cheese; fruit, (preserved, preparations); fish (fresh, chilled or frozen); cocoa; spices, among others.
According to her, the reasoning within the editorial, which stated that in order to reduce the food-import bill, more focus is needed on what is actually imported, neglects the key element on backward linkages of sectors and particularly input supply security.

She further said that the editor failed to recognise the business/export case that Guyana is building by positioning itself to supply the region.
Challenging the question within the editorial of whether the ministry believes the map towards reducing Guyana’s food-import bill is based on only growing corn, soya and fresh fruits and vegetables, Cameron said by bolstering corn and soya production, the goal of substantially reducing poultry inputs could be easier realised.
She then went on to expound on the number of efforts being rolled out by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government.

According to Cameron, corn and soya meal imports in 2021 amounted to approximately US$48 million and to this, the government has expended approximately $1 billion over the period 2021 to 2022 for the construction of a 47 kilometre road which will ensure accessibility to 61,000 hectares of prime farmland for corn and soya cultivation.
To continue these efforts, construction commenced on three silos with a capacity to store up to 30,000 tonnes each and one 80-tonne-per-hour drying tower at the Tacama Landing to ensure adequate storage capacity and reduce post-harvest losses. Works are also ongoing on the construction of a wharf in the Tacama Savannah to the tune of approximately $150 million, which will provide critical riverine access to the area under cultivation.

Touching on the significant area of food imports into the region, which is the fruits and vegetables industry, Cameron said that the region’s total edible fruits and vegetables imports are in the vicinity of US$317 million.

With this being said, attractive investment opportunities exist in Guyana and the region at large for large-scale commercial cultivation of horticultural crops, fruits, and vegetables, particularly in the natural, “wholesome,” and “health” food varieties.

She said this includes commodities such as bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, kale, strawberries, blueberries, as well as orchard-farming fruits such as cherry, guava, soursop, strawberry, citrus, and mango, to name a few.

Additionally, she focused on the Agriculture Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP) which was launched by President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali in January 2022, and its intention of stimulating and promoting economic growth and bettering the lives of young agriculturists.

Currently, cauliflower produced through the AIEP is now being retailed at the more accessible price of $500 on the local market.
For 2023, some five tonnes of bell peppers were produced along with one tonne of chili peppers, 2.4 tonnes of cauliflower and over 300,000 heads of lettuce. Some 75 per cent of persons involved in this initiative have moved on to own their own agricultural business.

Additionally, around 200 shade houses were erected for youth-based organisations across the country, increasing the involvement of more youths and women in the agriculture sector, with a targeted involvement rate of 35 per cent.

A new hydroponic farming project initiative has also been launched in Guyana valued at US$4.5 million – the largest in the Caribbean, targeting 300 young Guyanese across three administrative regions (Two, Five and 10).

Through this initiative, Cameron said participants will be able to develop skills in marketing, packaging and promotion. She also said that funding comes through the Greater Guyana Initiative (GGI) – a US$100 million investment from the Stabroek Block partners, ExxonMobil, Hess, and CNOOC.

STRATEGIC AND SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS
“These are all strategic and substantial investments made by the Government of Guyana, in reducing the food import bill,” she maintained.
Last July, while addressing stakeholders at a poultry symposium hosted by the ministry’s livestock department, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali disclosed plans to co-invest in both sausage and protein plants.

As it relates to eggs, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said that the government had also committed $50 million towards establishing a breeder programme, so hatching eggs can be produced locally.

He disclosed that the government was in talks with a private farmer who had already started the breeder project, and that some $50 million had been allocated in this year’s budget to start the breeder programme.

The government through the Ministry of Agriculture has also been steadfast in its efforts to establish a solid dairy and beef industries.
These efforts have been amplified through the recent acquisition of breeding bulls from Texas as well as the ongoing embryo transfer programme in Region Ten that is being facilitated through collaborations between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa).
Additionally, last February, senior officials from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs met with Demerara Distillers Limited’s Chairman, Komal Samaroo, and his delegation, to finalise a project with the LR Group for the establishment of a dairy farm in Guyana.

This will ultimately result in the establishment of the first state-of-the-art dairy farm in the Caribbean and will make a significant contribution to food security in the region and a dent in dairy imports.

The government has also made progress in its efforts to develop the local honey sector. Only recently during the just concluded Agri-Investment Forum and Expo the ministry signed an MOU with the Republic of Cuba, making way for apiculturists from Guyana to benefit from technical assistance in several critical areas needed to develop and sustain a thriving honey industry.

Earlier this year, farmers from several villages in Region One (Barima–Waini) received $20 million worth of planting materials for ginger, black pepper, and other spices to commence large-scale cultivation of spices with the aim of supplying export markets across the Caribbean. Last year, farmers of Regions One, Four, Six, and 10 also received more than 3,500 black pepper cuttings.

So far, some 250 acres of turmeric and ginger are currently being cultivated at farms in Mabaruma and Matarkai which are expected to be harvested by the end of the year. Each acre is expected to produce approximately 12,000 lbs of turmeric.

Additionally, farmers will also be able to access agro-processing facilities in the region to further push the local production of by-products. A trial for the production of black pepper, cinnamon, and mint has also begun in the Aroaima Savannah, Region Ten.

As it relates to coffee, during this year’s National Toshao’s Conference, Minister Mustapha disclosed that the government was working on resuscitating the entire coffee industry. He noted that the government was working with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to get this done.
He explained that the government was working on a long-term plan that would see the establishment of nurseries in various communities to ensure planting materials are readily available. Through this venture, some 200 acres of coffee (100 acres of Arabica and 100 acres of improved Liberica coffee) will be cultivated.

President Ali had also informed the Toshaos that one of his government’s plans is to “reignite and expand” both the coffee and cocoa industries in Guyana.
While all of this is being done, efforts are also being made to encourage consumers to buy and support local, she stated.
Cameron also related that while the government is cognizant of the implications that importing new commodities may have on its overall food-import bill, the PPP/C has never engaged in dictatorial tactics and is not prepared to restrict private sector companies from importing such commodities.