Agri. Ministry to spend $3M on corn, soya bean cultivation in Moco Moco

Mar 27, 2021 News

A section of the gathering meeting with the Agriculture Minister

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha

Kaieteur News – Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha recently announced that his Ministry will be expending $3 million in 2021 to commence the cultivation of corn and soya bean in Moco Moco Village, North Rupununi.
Meeting with villagers from Moco Moco, Minister Mustapha disclosed that his Ministry will be making the necessary resources available to commence corn and soya bean cultivation in the coming months.
“We’ve earmarked three acres each for the cultivation of corn and soya bean in the village. Our extension officers will come and have discussions with the Village Council shortly to determine where to start the production. This initiative will benefit your community tremendously. Over time we will increase the production and ensure you have the necessary support to sustain these crops,” Minister Mustapha said.
Moco Moco’s Toshao, Mark George stated that farmers in the area are ready and willing to increase their cultivation however, he bemoaned a lack of markets as a hindrance to this, along with the need for heavy-duty equipment should they proceed along this path.
“Minister our biggest challenge here is markets. We can do so much more than we are doing now. For example, we have peanuts in people’s homes with no markets. We also need a tractor with a plough. We are grateful for the basic garden tools but we also need big tools so that we can do our cultivation in a smarter way and on a larger scale,” Mr. George said.
In response to those requests, Minister Mustapha told the villagers that several tractors were being procured for the Region under the Ministry’s 2021 Capital programme.
Further, the subject Minister also told villagers that with the new agro-processing facilities being constructed across the Region, they would be able to benefit from better prices for their produce.
“We are encouraging value-added produce to increase your earnings. These facilities will be outfitted with the necessary equipment to improve the packaging and labeling of your produce. You will not have to worry about spoilage because you will now have facilities that will be able to process your crops and extend their shelf life,” Minister Mustapha said.
The official also instructed the NDIA to send an excavator to commence digging of a fish pond after villagers sought the assistance of the Minister to construct these facilities so that they could venture into aquaculture.
Those works are scheduled to commence before the end of the month.

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