REGION Six’s shrimp farmers are reaping record profits, earning nearly $775 million up to August 2025, as Guyana’s aquaculture expansion drives unprecedented growth across the agriculture sector.

Speaking at the World Food Day 2025 ceremony on Friday last, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, revealed that shrimp production in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) has skyrocketed from just 9,933 kilograms per month in 2021 to 122,000 kilograms per month this year, a twelvefold increase fuelled by strategic government investment and farmer empowerment.

Minister Mustapha credited the success to the government’s long-term focus on transforming agriculture into a modern, high-value industry.

“We recognise the importance of the oil and gas sector, but agriculture remains the most important sector for our country and the world because it is responsible for food security. Without food, we can’t survive,” he said.

Over the past five years, the government has dramatically expanded spending on agriculture from $13 billion in 2020 to $104 billion in 2025 to modernise infrastructure, strengthen food systems, and create sustainable income for rural communities.

The brackish water shrimp farming initiative in Region Six has become one of the standout achievements of this transformation. Initially launched with around 80 small-scale farmers along the Corentyne Coast, the project has evolved into a thriving aquaculture industry through targeted training, technical support, and infrastructural upgrades.

“Now, in 2025, we have completed about 80% of the project, and production has moved from 9,933 kilograms in 2021 to 122,000 kilograms monthly,” Minister Mustapha reported.

The financial impact on local communities has been substantial. Shrimp farmers in Region Six earned approximately $1.8 billion in 2023, and by August this year had already generated $774.9 million, with several productive months remaining.

“We have been transforming people’s lives. That’s our objective, to make more opportunities available for our citizens,” Minister Mustapha said.

As Guyana continues to strengthen its aquaculture and broader agri-food systems, the Region Six shrimp success story stands as a model for rural development, job creation, and economic diversification beyond oil and gas.

“The progress in Region Six shows what’s possible when we invest in our people and in the future of agriculture,” Minister Mustapha concluded.