–President Ali announces; says construction of facility to commence soon
AS Guyana continues to advance in improving food security, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has said that in the coming weeks, construction will commence on an advanced data collection centre, to support food production.

In his address at the Guyana’s Oil and Gas Energy Chambers annual award ceremony, Dr. Ali said: “In a few weeks, we’ll be building the most advanced data collection centre in the region, here in Guyana, to support food production in the region.”
He said this centre will be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics to generate data. This is aimed at increasing production and yield.

Since assuming office, the current government has been keen on using oil revenues to diversify the economy and not just have a country that revolves around oil and gas.
Dr. Ali remarked: “We’re building a regional food hub here so that an important part of our economy will be food production not agriculture,” adding: “Agriculture is just one component of food production.”

The Head-of-State boasted that his government has invested significantly in training and technology to achieve this goal.
In September, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) extended its support to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to enhance rice industry technology as part of the China South-South Cooperation Programme.

The project commenced with the handing over of five drones and related software and accessories to the GRDB, along with two weeks of training on the use of the new equipment.

It was an initiative in response to recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 for countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The main aim was to support rural livelihoods and food systems so that smallholder farmers in rural communities can increase their competitiveness.

The data gathered from drone monitoring was expected to help enhance production practices, aid in the efficient use of resources, and, overall, support management decisions to improve yields and livelihoods.
Progress in food production forms part of the government’s overarching objective of improving food security not just in Guyana but also across the region; this in keeping with the region’s “25 by 25” goal, which entails reducing the existing food-import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.