Importance of family farming emphasised

Oct 03, 2014 News

…as Agriculture Month launched

The Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) on Wednesday hosted the first Agriculture

Students perusing the literature at the launch of “Agriculture Month 2014” at the Guyana School of Agriculture.

Month 2014 activity, focusing on the “Promotion of Youths in Agriculture” with the aim of not only creating job opportunities for young people, but to further expand the industry.
This position is being pushed since it was noted that youths play an integral role in the development of any country, and much importance continues to be placed on areas that they can further excel, especially in Agriculture. It also connects with the emphasis that Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy is placing on family farming.
Delivering the feature address to the gathering at the launching, Ramsammy acknowledged the significance of family farming, which he reminded the gathering is linked to several areas of rural development.
Family Farming is nothing new in Guyana, as 90 percent of farms are operated by families and are predominantly reliant on family labour from both males and females.
“This year we aim to raise the profile of family farming and the role of small farmers, as they have been playing a significant role in the development of agriculture in Guyana and for Agriculture Month 2014 we will celebrate their accomplishments,” the Minister said.
He added that while Family Farming continues to be the foundation on which agriculture is built in Guyana, much emphasis must be placed on the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
“As a colonial country prior to 1966, the family rice farms were intended to feed our people. Today this has led to the transformation of the industry, that in 2014 will surpass 600,000 tonnes of rice and close to 1,000,000 tonnes of paddy being produced,” he said.
Through much investment and the dedication of farmers, Guyana is firmly set to export this year in excess of 500,000 tonnes of rice. This would not have been achieved, according to the Agriculture Minister, without the input of farmers.
“In the rice industry alone, small farmers invested more than $30B, while Cash Crop and Artisanal Fishermen invested $10B each in 2014 and this is due to them seeing the profitability the sector has,” he said.
The Minister noted that while much has been achieved and the sector continues on an upward spiral, Government will continue to support small farmers.
Agriculture continues to be a major contributor to Guyana’s GDP, and according to the Minister, his Ministry will continue to celebrate the achievement and work of farmers.
While the Government reaffirms that the sector is a vehicle for sustainable growth, Guyanese are being urged to take pride of the many achievements over the years which have positioned Guyana to be an important exporter of food to the Caribbean.
During Agriculture Month, a number of events will be held, placing the spotlight not only on the achievements of the sector, but the importance farmers continue to play to ensure its sustenance.
Agriculture Month 2014 is being held under the theme, “Enhancing Agriculture through Family Farming and the use of Sustainable Technologies”.

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