Agriculture on the move, heading for great things

Dec 16, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

The $37M agro-processing facility recently commissioned at Fort Wellington is a great omen indeed. The details show that “The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government of Guyana, in an effort to further commercialise value-added production through agro-processing, has been working to establish agro-processing facilities across the country.”

For example, back in July of this year, President Ali did tout that “Guyana’s economy will not depend solely on oil and gas” He did explain, and many times too, that “While Guyana is rapidly evolving as an oil-and-gas market, the nation’s economy will not depend solely on the treasured natural resource for country-wide development. The point, according to him, is that “… the funds, from oil will be used to unlock the potential of several areas which existed for a long time, but were stagnant due to lack of resources.” So, this agro processing unit is a perfect example and manifestation of the trajectory of the country.

Editor, the hope is high indeed, as this huge investment will see approximately 700 persons, including farmers, agro-processors, women, youth, and other stakeholders from Regions Five and Six benefiting from improved services, geared at increasing the value and extending the shelf life of their products. The country cannot afford wastage, and this facility will be a big boost in harnessing so many products that normally end up in the dumps. In this regard, I take note that it is aptly “… outfitted with the necessary equipment to process and package approximately 4320 litres of green seasoning (of all types) and 3600 litres of pepper sauce monthly, and is designed to offer 24-hour service as well as a mechanisation process to reduce operational costs.”

And I remind, yet again, all Guyana, that “These initiatives are not new for this Government, because when you look at the plans for the agriculture sector, the plans that were detailed in the PPP/C’s manifesto, it stated that Guyana has to move the sector from a primary productive sector to one with value-added capabilities.” As a passing note, I add that this kind of progress and upgrade means that, we can all, as Guyanese, grow in confidence regarding the leadership of the nation. On the bigger stage, and as Minister Mustapha put it, Caricom can now begin to be more optimistic in terms of reducing its food import bill, as more locally-made products are being exported to countries in the Region. Succinct and profound indeed are the words of the Minister when he stated that, “When you look around the Caribbean, our produce are in demand. We are working to remove all the non-tariff barriers that were preventing our products from entering those markets. We are now seeing more products being exported to Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and other countries in the Eastern Caribbean.”

In closing, I will just make a few general comments, and hopefully, these will reinforce my message that Guyana is really heading in the right direction. For one, agro-industries have the potential to provide employment for the rural population not only in farming, but also in off-farm activities such as handling, packaging, processing, transporting and marketing of food and agricultural products. Secondly, all must bear in mind that agro-processing increases food security by promoting reduction of food spoilage and wastage, and agro-processed foods encounter higher price stability on the global market and are therefore likely to have increase market opportunities for exports, contributing to income securities, particularly in rural areas.

Yours truly,

H. Singh.

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