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Agri Minister launches $128.6M hinterland rice and beans project

Dec 19, 2009 News

The US$643,000 ($128.6M) Hinterland Rice and Beans Project was launched Tuesday during a ceremony at the St. Ignatius Benab, Region Nine, where Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, dedicated the project to the memory of Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr. Desrey Fox.
Dr Fox succumbed to injuries sustained in an automobile accident on December 11.
“In tribute to her commitment to Guyana’s development, to our Amerindian people’s development and to the role of food and agriculture (plays in that development), I want to dedicate this project to her.”
“Whilst today is a day for us to celebrate and which I consider a milestone in the modernisation of agriculture in Region Nine, it is also a day when all Guyana mourns the loss of an outstanding indigenous citizen,” Minister Persaud stated.
He indicated that Dr. Fox had a peculiar fascination with agriculture and believed that hinterland communities could take care of their own food needs as well as being linked to Guyana being a leading exporter of food to the Caribbean and beyond.
“She was very passionate about that. She never ignored the importance and the contribution and the rich tradition of our indigenous people in terms of agriculture, in terms of food production,” the Agriculture Minister said.
He encouraged the audience gathered for the ceremony to commit themselves to making the project a success because it is not only important for Region Nine where it is being implemented but it could serve as a blueprint for similar projects in other hinterland regions.
“It will advise and inform us as to how it is we should approach similar agricultural ventures in other parts of the hinterland of Guyana,” Minister Persaud highlighted.
He indicated that this project is one of the ways Government is working with hinterland communities to ensure that they can feed themselves, and further stated that the project will see modern technology and training techniques used.
The hinterland rice and beans project is a joint collaboration between the Governments of Guyana and Spain, through the Spanish Development Agency, and will see the establishment of cultivation over a three-year period of black eye beans, among others, and upland rice.
It will support the improvement of rural development of the Rupununi Savannah’s indigenous communities with Moco Moco, Karauaranau, Awarawaunau and Quarria being targeted during the first year.
The project will then be replicated in other Amerindian communities in the following two years, with the replication based on lessons learnt for a reduction in any problems that were encountered.
Already, 50 acres of land have been prepared for upland rice cultivation while black eye bean plants have already been sown. Also, a storage bond is under construction in Moco Moco and Minister Persaud handed over a state-of-the-art combine harvester for the project, and two all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) that will be used by Ministry of Agriculture staff to carry out extension services in the North Rupununi.
“I want to assure you that as part of our programme, our vision in going forward; we will work every single day looking at opportunities where we can improve your livelihood, where we can better your living conditions in all regards and this project is just a manifestation of that… of what we are trying to do,” the Agriculture Minister concluded.

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