-President Ali tells Region Three youths, urges collaboration to unlock agri-business potential

WITH the expanding opportunities in agri-business, youths in Guyana are being urged to form consortiums among themselves to tap into potential investments in the local poultry sector.

“I believe that wealth creation from a cross section of the community, from a pooling together of young people is an important part of the ‘One Guyana’ concept,” Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali said on Sunday while engaging a sizeable group of young people at a breakfast meeting at the Pyramid Restaurant and Pub, La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara, Region Three.

President Ali outlined plans to roll out a ‘high-tech poultry programme’ that has the potential to generate millions of dollars.

“In this region, the Ministry of Agriculture will identify five acres of land in which we will do high-tech agriculture production, food production. One of it will be poultry but not poultry the traditional way,” he said.

However, he noted that the initiative will require bold and innovative persons to collaborate.

The plan is to have 10 or 20 young people contribute $500, 000 each and take the total sum to the bank and get $40 million to establish a $50 million poultry production facility which will have the capacity to produce 40 to 45,000 chickens at a time.

Such a consortium he pointed out would be able to further satisfy the poultry demand and generate wealth for those involved. “…Just imagine in eight weeks, you transform your whole outlook in life.”

He noted that persons can move from a maximum capital of $500,000 to being part of a $100 million business venture and investment. However, President Ali stressed the power of a collective approach to creating wealth.

“It [collaboration] helps to integrate, to network and importantly to grow a level of responsibility, trust, collaboration and support for each other that cuts across communities. That cut across social, cultural, religious, ethnic differences and that allows us to grow together,” he underscored.
The government, President Ali noted will continue engagements with youths across the country to bridge communities, promote wealth creation and implement meaningful policies that will support a sustainable living.

“I am planning to target young people across all cross sections, whether its athletes, bring them together, young people in the banking sector, bring them together, young people in the insurance sector, bring them together, young people from the fields, bring them together.”

In Region Three, a committee of government officials and several prominent community members will be formed to support even more initiatives among the youths.

“This journey that we are going to talk about today is a very significant journey. A necessary journey and that is why I took time to be here myself,” the President said.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority’s (GLDA’s) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dwight Waldron urged the gathering to shift their mindsets and to look at agriculture.

Waldron in his calculations pointed out that if the programme was able to execute ten batches per year over a ten-week period, gross earnings would be to the tune of $468 million.

“That is what we are looking at so when we speak about generating wealth. These are the kind of figures we are looking at and we want you guys to get involved.

Also present at the breakfast meeting were Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha; Chief Executive Officer of Demerara Bank, Dowlat Parbhu; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar; Housing and Water Minister, Collin Croal and Attorney-at-Law and Legal Counsel at the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) Thandi McAllister.