Govt. to spend $2.7B to construct drying facility for Reg. 2

Jul 22, 2025 News

Kaieteur News – The government through the Ministry of Agriculture is preparing to expend approximately $2,735,945,571 for the construction of a complete Drying and Storage Paddy Facility in Region Two.

This is according to an invitation for bids issued by the ministry recently which stated that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) is seeking bids.

According to the document, the project will be done is two parts.

The first entails the supply and installation of a complete Drying and Storage Paddy Facility which is estimated to cost $1,568,374,099. The other project is for the construction of foundation for the Drying Facility which is estimated to cost $1,167,571,472.

In relation to this project, it was reported by the Department of Public Information in April, that Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha met with rice farmers, millers and truck drivers where he announced the government’s intention to construct the state-of-the-art facility.

“We had a situation on the Essequibo Coast where some regular buyers were unable to take in paddy because they did not have the capacity. This is why we have to look to develop a system on the Coast where we can have drying facilities so that farmers can benefit.

This system will be able to accommodate approximately 500,000 bags of paddy. We can work out a system to determine the best management system, maybe a consortium of farmers. I was speaking to the President about it. This is not to take away business from anyone. We are ensuring that we promote higher yields and a maximum price for farmers’ paddy. This is why the government recently intervened. Although there is the world market price, every bag of paddy sold to the millers, we are contributing to ensure farmers receive $4,000 per bag. Our projection for this crop is about 9,000,000 bags of paddy because 232,000 acres were cultivated for the first crop of 2025,” he was quoted in the article.

Subsequently, when engaging residents in Region Two in May, the Department of Public Information reported that President Irfaan Ali also informed that with unpredictable weather patterns making it difficult for farmers to dry their produce, that two modern drying and storage facilities will be constructed in the region.

“Engineers are expected to complete the designs within two weeks,” it was reported at the time.

It should be noted that bids for the projects are expected to open on August 5, 2025 at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office.

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agriculture, bids, Drying facility, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, rice

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