MINISTER of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, is encouraging young people to embrace agriculture as a modern, rewarding, and vital career path, one that plays a crucial role in Guyana’s food security and regional development.
Speaking at Honey Fest 2025, Minister Mustapha emphasised that the government was actively “harnessing the potential of our young people” to strengthen the local food system and transform perceptions about farming and agri-entrepreneurship.
“Don’t see agriculture as a menial activity,” the Minister urged. “Don’t see agriculture as an activity for people who never went to school or people who don’t have a proper education background. See agriculture as the main activity in our country — an activity responsible for food production and food security.”
EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS
The Minister noted that the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) has become a hub for regional agricultural education, attracting students from Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Lucia, with learners from St. Kitts, Barbados, and Trinidad expected to join in the near future.
He pointed out that this growing interest from across the Caribbean underscores Guyana’s emerging leadership in agricultural innovation and education.
Minister Mustapha also addressed the need for greater inclusion, highlighting a policy within the Ministry of Agriculture that ensures at least 35 per cent participation of women and youth in all ministry-led projects.
“This is not just a number — it’s a commitment to ensure that women and young people are directly involved and benefitting from agricultural development,” he said.
He added that the once male-dominated sector is evolving rapidly, with women and youth now playing increasingly important roles in food production, agribusiness, and technology-driven farming.
Minister Mustapha further revealed that Guyana was on track to achieve self-sufficiency by next year, citing significant growth in the production of high-value crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and lettuce.
Since 2021, under the leadership of President Dr Irfaan Ali, Guyana and other CARICOM member states have renewed their focus on agriculture, driven by the need to reduce food imports and strengthen regional food security.
“Countries whose economies were built on oil and gas, tourism, and other activities are now embracing agriculture because of what they have seen Guyana doing,” Minister Mustapha explained. “We are not only producing food on a large scale — we are giving leadership to the Caribbean.”
With initiatives promoting education, inclusivity, and innovation, Guyana continues to position itself as a model for sustainable agricultural growth in the Caribbean.
Through policies that empower youth and women and the government’s push toward self-sufficiency, the agriculture sector is emerging not only as a source of food and employment — but as a driver of national pride and regional progress.