By Bebi Shafeah Oosman
A TOTAL of 200 pesticide storage cabinets along with safety kits were distributed to farmers at Black Bush Polder on Saturday as part of the government’s continued efforts to improve safety practices within the agricultural sector, while creating greater opportunities for farmers across Guyana.
Speaking during the exercise, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha emphasised the importance of pesticide safety and responsible chemical storage, noting that the initiative is aimed at reducing the misuse of agricultural chemicals and preventing accidental poisonings and suicides.
The minister acknowledged that Black Bush Polder has, over the years, been associated with several incidents involving chemical ingestion, and said the government is committed to changing that narrative through proactive intervention and awareness.
Minister Mustapha told farmers while urging them to store chemicals securely and responsibly, that each cabinet is equipped with two locks to ensure safer storage and restricted access, particularly from children and unauthorised persons.
According to the minister, the programme in Black Bush Polder alone represents an investment of approximately $35 million, and he assured residents that every farmer in the area will eventually benefit from the initiative.
By the end of September this year, some 759 farmers in the area are expected to be beneficiaries.
Further, farmers were encouraged to make full use of protective gear when handling agricultural chemicals to help reduce long-term health risks associated with pesticide exposure.
During his visit to several communities across Region Six on Saturday, Minister Mustapha also highlighted the government’s ongoing investments in agriculture and encouraged residents to take advantage of emerging opportunities in high-value crop production, coconut cultivation, livestock rearing, and agro-processing.
He disclosed that through the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme, a number of young people are already producing and supplying agricultural products to supermarkets throughout Guyana.
The minister further revealed that approximately 76,000 high-yielding coconut plants were imported this year as part of efforts to expand coconut production nationwide.
He described coconut cultivation as a highly profitable industry with growing local and international demand and encouraged farmers in Black Bush Polder to become involved in the sector.
Minister Mustapha also spoke about the ministry’s ventilated poultry pen initiative, explaining that the programme allows farmers to rear large quantities of broilers every six weeks while maintaining significantly lower mortality rates.
According to him, approximately 12 groups comprising nearly 40 persons each are already participating in the programme across several regions, with plans underway to expand the initiative further into Region Six.
Addressing concerns within the rice industry, Minister Mustapha said the government continues to provide support to farmers amid fluctuating world market prices for paddy. He explained that Guyana’s paddy prices are heavily influenced by international market conditions.
“Over the last two years we have tried as much as possible to bring relief to the farmers in terms of helping them with fertilizer, inputs, chemicals, and different varieties of seed paddy. We have also subsidized the cost of every bag of paddy sold,” the minister stated.
He added that the government increased fertilizer assistance this year and later stressed the importance of ensuring that all relief measures are distributed transparently so that the farmers who are genuinely entitled to assistance can benefit stressing that the way in which farming is done now must be changed and adapt to the new way things are done.
The minister met residents and farmers in Upper Corentyne, Black Bush Polder, Auchlyne, Corentyne and PlegtAnker, East Bank Berbice.
Also present at the activity were Member of Parliament Zamal Hussain, Region Six Chairman, Junior Basant, Vice Chairman Wajid Saheed Khan, and Regional Executive Officer Narindra Persaud.
