-as part of regional food hub project

MINISTER of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, has announced that a warehouse is currently being constructed as part of the Yarrowkabra food hub project.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Minister Mustapha explained that the facility forms part of a larger investment geared towards strengthening Guyana’s role in regional food security.

“We are now building the food hub at Yarrowkabra. You know we have signed a contract with Blumberg Grain for US $12 million plus…we are now building the warehouse there too,” he stated.

He emphasised that this development is critical for expanding Guyana’s agricultural export capacity, noting that the overall project aligns with efforts to reduce the Caribbean’s food import bill.

“This is a major investment in terms of us exporting agriculture produce to take in the slack that will be created by the reduction of the food import bill in the Caribbean,” Mustapha explained.

The Yarrowkabra food hub is expected to serve as a key facility for storage, processing, and distribution, providing a central location to support Guyana’s expanding agricultural output while boosting trade within the region.

The government of Guyana in January signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with renowned United States (U.S.)-based company Blumberg Grain and Logistics.

The agreement was inked at the Ministry of Agriculture’s main boardroom on Regent Street and paved the way for the establishment of the state-of-the-art regional food hub at Yarrowkabra, along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

Offering brief remarks then, Mustapha had said the signing of the MoU is “testament to the Government’s commitment in making Guyana a food-secured country.”

He had added, “We’ve moved away from that kind of labour-intensive form of production to a more modern and scientific form of production…We are now bringing that expertise to Guyana to transform the development that started since 2020.”

The minister had also noted that Guyana had made “tremendous” strides since 2020, reminding that the country is the only nation in the world that can feed its citizens.

Meanwhile, Blumberg Grain’s Chairman, Philip Blumberg, said Guyana will become its official hub in the Caribbean region, as the MoU marks the first step in reducing post-harvest losses and increasing exportability.

“First step towards what we are doing is to reduce post-harvest loss. While it is a self-sufficient kind of country, we can reduce post-harvest loss, which is the loss farmers sustain from their field to the market. It will only increase the exportable products in the agriculture sector, and we are focused on CARICOM, and northern South America as we make our investments,” Blumberg had said.

It is anticipated that with this new partnership in Guyana, farmers will be able to get greater revenues and access markets across the globe.

In response to the charge given by Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, Blumberg noted that the company will explore investments in a manufacturing plant covering a spectrum of industries.

“We will invest, not only will we do this project and I hope others, and we have had discussions about rice, and meat and poultry, but the reality is, we are prepared to invest in processing on our account of Guyana’s agriculture products,” he said.

The Yarrowkabra food hub, once completed, is expected to significantly boost Guyana’s export capabilities, reduce post-harvest losses to as low as five per cent and provide new manufacturing and processing facilities. It is also expected to serve as the base from which Guyana can strengthen trade across CARICOM and South America, while laying the foundation for entry into U.S. and international markets.

The commencement of phase one of the project took place in 2023, accompanied by an investment totalling $187 million. This project aligns with Guyana’s and the Caribbean Community’s CARICOM target of addressing food insecurities.