MINISTER of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has announced that the government will examine the construction of a new agro-processing facility for East Bank Berbice as part of its considerations for the next budget.
The proposed facility is expected to provide significant support to farmers and other agricultural producers along the East Bank Berbice corridor by creating greater opportunities for them to process their produce, add value, and access wider markets.
Minister Mustapha explained that the project will be part of government’s drive to expand agro-processing across the country while ensuring that farmers are able to earn more from what they produce.
An agro-processing facility in the area would allow farmers to move beyond the sale of primarily fresh produce by creating opportunities for fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural commodities to be processed, packaged and marketed as value-added products.
This could also help to reduce post-harvest losses, particularly during periods when there is an abundance of certain crops and farmers experience difficulties finding markets for all of their produce.
The facility could further encourage increased production and diversification along the East Bank Berbice, which Mustapha said there is big plans for.
Minister Mustapha said the government will look at making provisions for the facility in the next budget as it continues to invest in infrastructure and programmes aimed at strengthening Guyana’s agriculture sector and improving the earning potential of farmers.
“East Bank Berbice is earmarked for more developnment, there are lots of land available there, fertile land and also we are seeing interest in foreign investment coming to that area, so I am hoping to work with the farmers to link them to the investors, I am looking at next year’s budget that we will build an agro proccessing facility in the East Bank of Berbice because there will be a lot of produce and we are going now to do a lot of value-added product to ensure that we add value to the primary product that we are producing over the years.”
The proposed investment would add to ongoing agricultural development in Region Six and provide East Bank Berbice farmers with an important avenue to transform primary produce into higher-value products, strengthening both their livelihoods and the local economy.
Meanwhile, Mustapha further pointed out that agro processing is a major part of the agriculture budget for this year.
“So I want to ensure that we build these facilities…,” he said.
