–as gov’t outlines massive programmes for agricultural diversification, technology integration

PRESIDENT, Dr Irfaan Ali last week unveiled an ambitious agricultural-expansion drive that he says will transform the country’s rice sector, slash production costs and usher in a new era of innovation, technology, and value-added opportunities.

Fresh off a two-day cabinet outreach in Region Six, the President detailed a suite of initiatives aimed at rapidly increasing cultivation, modernising farming systems and diversifying  the region’s agricultural output.

Central to the plan is a major scale up of support to rice farmers, with government set to introduce an additional 15,000 acres for new cultivation, using higher-yielding varieties capable of producing 40 to 45 bags per acre.

“We’re examining many initiatives that will reduce the cost of production for our farmers, improve infrastructure, roads, dams, storage, canals, drainage facility [and] farm-to-market access roads, so that we can access an additional 75,000 acres of land for rice cultivation,” the President told reporters during a press conference.

Dr Ali said this push forms part of a wider national effort to strengthen food security and reposition Guyana as a regional agricultural powerhouse.

“[We want] the expansion of extension services 24/7 with the use of technology and the promotion of precision agriculture, again with the use of technology supported by the Ministry of Agriculture,” he added.

A significant share of the investment will go towards strengthening the physical infrastructure that underpins the agricultural landscape. The President confirmed that the government is advancing plans for  expansion of the seed-processing facility, while examining new initiatives to cut costs and improve the efficiency of farming operations.

This includes upgraded roads, dams, storage facilities, canals, and drainage systems, as well as enhanced farm-to-market access routes.

According to Dr Ali, these improvements will make it possible to bring an additional 75,000 acres of land into rice cultivation in Region Six alone.

The President also emphasised that the future of agriculture in the region cannot depend solely on traditional sectors such as rice. Value-added production and diversification, he stressed, will be essential pillars of long-term resilience.

“We want at least In every 10-acre, one acre to be dedicated to diversification, whether it’s livestock, cage farming [or] high-yielding crop[s], we are going to support the transition of at least one acre in every 10 acre[s],” he explained.

Modernisation through technology is also high on the agenda; to this end, Dr Ali said, announcing the expansion of extension services to operate 24/7, powered by digital tools and precision-agricultural systems guided by the Ministry of Agriculture.

As part of this move, government will soon introduce a comprehensive information matrix and a ‘Palm App,’ giving farmers direct access to education materials, real-time guidance and one-on-one communication with extension officers.

“From their phone, farmers will be able to access extension services, education services and a platform where they can communicate directly with extension officers for support from the field,” the President said.

The entire system, he added, will be integrated into the government’s service-delivery platform to ensure accountability, performance tracking and timely assistance.

“The launching of an information matrix for education and data that would allow farmers to have what we call the palm app, that is from their phone, having access to extension services, education services and a platform where they can communicate directly with extension officer for support from the field,” President Ali said.

Despite climate pressures and recent global gluts in the rice market, Guyana continues to record strong production gains. The country is set to produce 820,000 metric tonnes of rice.

“This is a very important industry; we not only have to maintain it, but we have to expand it. Our objective in the coming years from now is to produce a million tonnes of rice, so we want Guyana to be one of the main food-producing countries in the region,” Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had said during a previous engagement with farmers.

In fact, the sector saw a 13.9 per cent growth during the first half of 2025.  Data from GRDB shows that 410,194 tonnes of rice equivalent were produced between January and June 2025, up from 362,030 tonnes for the same period last year. Officials attributed the increase largely to favourable weather conditions and consistent yields, with the first crop of 2025 achieving an average of 6.6 tonnes per hectare, the same as in 2024.

The country’s production has seen a steady increase over the past four years. In 2020, the first crop averaged at 5.7 tonnes and by 2024, it had increased to 6.6 tonnes per hectare.

This incremental increase in rice production has been ongoing since 2021, when production was 559,789 tonnes. In 2022, it increased to 610,595 tonnes, and 653,706 tonnes in 2023.