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Agri Ministry wants farmers to increase use of bio inputs – says organic products will produce safer food, environment
Permanent Secretary, George Jervis addressing the gathering
The Ministry of Agriculture is pushing for there to be an increased use of bio inputs in the Agriculture Sector.
Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Agriculture, George Jervis, stressed the Ministry’s intention to have more bio inputs used in the sector so as to provide greener and safer products.
Bio inputs are naturally derived things which are free of the toxic elements common to the current chemicals being used.
Jervis was at the time addressing stakeholders at the launch of the Act Project in the Ministry of Agriculture. The Act Project is designed to foster development of the institutional framework of the subsector of commercial bio inputs for agricultural use to promote cleaner agriculture in Guyana, Paraguay and Dominican Republic.
According to Jervis, the focus on using bio inputs is timely, since crops in Guyana are showing resistance to some of the chemicals which are currently being used. He made reference to a visit which he made with Agriculture Minister Noel Holder to the facility at Mon Repos. Jervis explained that during their visit, plants and animals were showing an increased resistance to antibiotics.
He said that farmers usually administer antibiotics to their chickens the day before they are killed. Jervis stressed that plants, animals and humans are linked, because despite persons may not be ingesting the antibiotics directly, it will be consumed after eating meat and crops coming from farms.
Jervis said that if Guyana is to make its agriculture greener through the use of bio inputs, then it would be on the right track. He made mention of the “One Health” programme which seeks to address both animal and human health issues through food contamination.
Undertaking this project with the Ministry is the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Pesticide and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).
Representative of the IICA delegation in Guyana, Wilmot Garnett in his remarks said that another aim of the Project is to develop a sustainable sub-sector, whereby Guyanese can begin producing bio inputs on a commercial level.
He said that the project seeks to target relevant institutions and officials – the public and private sector involved in the commercial development of inputs and the producers who will find a new and alternative commercial offer of sustainable biological input.
It is aimed to strengthen the institutional capacities required for evaluation, registration and post-registration control of bio inputs for agricultural use. It is expected that locals will be trained to facilitate the enactment of the agreed national standards and operating procedures.
The general themes at the forum was that the chemicals currently being used have been adversely affecting the environment, inclusive of human, animal and plant life. As a result, it is necessary that a safer alternative is sought after.
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