AGRICULTURE Minister Zulfikar Mustapha recently noted that the agriculture sector has seen double digit growth in recent years, marking a recorded growth of 11.5 per cent in 2025. This, the minister said, demonstrates agriculture’s vital role in the nation’s economic diversification and long-term prosperity.
“The transformation taking place across agriculture is evidence and we can look at rice production. We have moved rice production from a mere 500,000 tons in 2020 to 810,000 tons in 2025 and at the same time, we continue efforts to diversify and modernise the sugar industry, expand aquaculture and livestock and strengthen agro-processing. Aquaculture is now becoming an industry in Guyana where new opportunities are emerging,” the minister stated.
Noting that these are never-before-seen areas, the minister reflected on figures from 2022, which saw Guyana importing approximately $2.6 billion in high-value crops such as broccoli and cauliflower, all of which goes to the hospitality industry.
“Today, we are producing most of those things. We have our young people working to produce these high-value crops. We are now a major producer of honey…We are expanding our apiculture industry. We have moved from a mere 2,000 gallons in 2020 to about 40,000 gallons last year,” he revealed.
According to the minister, these are areas we see growth in, in terms of agricultural development.
In addition, he mentioned strategic investments being made in cold storage facility, logistics and market infrastructure.
“We are also helping producers reduce post-harvest losses and renew and reach new markets. The establishment of the Regional Food Hub at Yarrowkabra, we have partnered with Bloomberg Green of United States. We are building that food hub there now and that food hub will be a very very important project for us. Supporting infrastructure will further strengthen Guyana’s position as a reliable supply of high-quality agricultural products to regional and international markets,” he said.
Mustapha stressed that while production figures, investment, and infrastructure are important, agriculture is ultimately about people, and how they are supported and treated.
This, he posited, has been a hallmark of the current government, in giving support to the farmers of our country to move production forward.
“The success of our sector belongs to our farmers, fisher folk, agro-processors, extension officers, researchers, and agricultural workers. Their hard work, resilience, innovation, and determination have laid the foundation for the progress we celebrate today,” he said.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Month 2026, was launched on Monday under the theme “Innovate, Nourish, Grow: Building a Strong and Sustainable Guyana.” The theme reflects the transformation that is taking place across Guyana’s agriculture sector, as well as the government’s focus on the building out of a modern, productive, and sustainable industry.
