–country sets sight on huge demand for cherries in fruit juice industry, Minister Mustapha says

SOME two million pounds of ginger, which is currently being cultivated in Region One (Barima-Waini), is scheduled to be harvested in February, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has said.

The minister made this announcement during his address at the recent launch of the $5.3 million Caribbean Agricultural Productivity Improvement Activity (CAPA), a project funded by the United States Agency for Development (USAID) to increase food productivity, and provide support to several farmers within the region.

Mustapha told stakeholders that significant investments have already been made to establish a production hub for spices here in Guyana.

“Region One has been designated as our spice region, and over 300 acres of ginger and 100 acres of turmeric are under cultivation in that region, and over $28 million of planting materials— 58,000 kilograms of planting materials— was distributed to support efforts in developing this sub-sector,” he said.

With the CAPA project coming on stream, farmers could receive even more support, Mustapha said. Aside from this, the project provides an avenue for the country to increase its production of citrus.

“There is a strong demand for cherries, especially for use in the fruit juice industry, and assisting smallholder farmers to increase production will help to meet this need. Cherry is among the preferred fruit juices demanded.

“Information from a major processor suggests that the demand for cherry averages one million pounds per annum. Presently, we are supplying less than 50 per cent of that. So, there is a lot of work we have to do among the cherry farmers to expand cultivation,” Mustapha said.

CAPA outlines an integrated value-chain strategy which aims to help farmers adapt to climate-smart practices, and improve farm-to-market logistics.

During his year-end press conference, Minister Mustapha had said that while the agriculture sector is praised and recognised for the integral role it plays in the production of livestock, cash crops, rice and sugar, the production of spices in Guyana will be a game changer for the country as well as the region.

He related that although other farmers are cultivating spices in the various regions, the residents of Region One have been significantly concentrating on the production of spices on a large-scale basis, which, according to him, has put the area in a position to be called the “spice region” of Guyana.

In 2023, there was a significant increase in the production of spices, and the delivery of approximately $30 million in planting materials to farmers from Regions One and Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), who have invested in the cultivation of spices, specifically turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and nutmeg.