Farmers’ groups share $10.3M

Jan 27, 2013 News

Five groups of farmers received $10.3M funding from the Ministry of Agriculture’s READ project on Friday.
At the presentation ceremony, Mr. Ramesh Persaud, Chief Executive Officer of Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) highlighted the need for farmers to be united.
He spoke about training for farmers. He added that IPED would not want farmers to simply form groups to access finance from the Project. Mr. Persaud called for farmers to be united and cooperative since it leads to greater success.
Mr. Tapping, a farmers’ representative from the Region Ten Farmers Association (RFTA) extended thanks to the Ministry for this support and also thanked the Ministry for capacity building training that was given to them.
Alli Baksh, Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, said that he was happy to see so many women involved in these groups and agriculture as a whole. He is also happy that persons are taking more education to better themselves as farmers. And, “I am even happier to have committed persons in these groups which indicate that the groups will be sustained”.
Minister Baksh noted that several other groups are in the making and it is the intention of Government to keep engaging all stakeholders in the process.
Minister Baksh said that sustainability is the name of the game for these groups and this type of funding is being handed to persons who are serious to have things happen. He noted that some persons only form groups to access money and after the money is done, the groups fall apart. Hence, Sustainability of projects means a lot to the Ministry. He noted that the Ministry is everyday looking for new and emerging markets to absorb our produce.
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Agriculture said that the Integration of small farmers into large scale agriculture is not just an option but an imperative and a priority.

Hon. Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Agriculture, Alli Baksh, Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture along with farmers’ representatives with their Cheques.

Dr. Ramsammy noted that Government never embraces initiatives that engage subsistence livelihood. In some countries, it’s a goal, but our goal as a government is not to keep people in subsistence livelihood, it is to create wealth and encourage investment.
Dr. Ramsammy said that putting in labour and energy, which is money, will be done by the farmers, and in this case the Ministry is assisting these groups plus more, with the finance as seed money where they will continue to generate funds through profits to sustain their business. He noted that there is no guarantee that there will be additional funds since this money was bargained for by the Government of Guyana.
Minister Ramsammy told the group that farmers should not be talked about as peasant, “We have to change that reality; farmers are businessmen”. “We must become entrepreneurs and business people”.
We have to add value to our products and although we are a food secure country, we cannot continue to be producers alone.
Minister Ramsammy congratulated the groups and urged that wealth generation comes from exports and value-added. “Our aspiration should be to have our produce meet on the shelves of supermarkets internationally,” he declared.