President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali outlined an ambitious vision for the agricultural sector of Region One (Barima-Waini) during a community outreach in the Amerindian village of Waramuri on Thursday, in which he highlighted the enormous potential of the region to contribute to Guyana’s food security.
The government through the Ministry of Agriculture is making significant investments to position the region as a major producer of high-value crops, particularly focusing on coffee, coconut, and breadfruit.
President Ali informed villagers that the government is actively working to identify new opportunities and areas for growth in the region, aiming to revitalise the lucrative coffee industry by providing thousands of cocoa plants for cultivation.
The goal is to establish a 10,000-coffee plantation, featuring Arabica and Liberica varieties, to restore Region One as a prominent coffee producer.
In addition to the coffee initiative, the government plans to introduce 20,000 Brazilian coconut nuts to facilitate large-scale coconut cultivation in the region.
And so, he urged farmers to collaborate with the government in identifying suitable areas for cultivation.
“The other thing we want to do here; breadfruit production. It’s an important regional commodity and we’re going to support you by having the market available. So, we will come in and buy the breadfruit…these are long-term crops, we want to replant 5,000 breadfruit plants in Region One so you can become an important supplier,” the head of state stated in his address.
President Ali also emphasised the importance of investing in farm-to-market access roads to facilitate the transportation of produce.
Furthermore, the president expressed the government’s intention to explore the possibility of investing in a cargo boat to facilitate the transportation of agricultural products from the region, which is vital for the expansion of Guyana’s economy.
Moreover, the citrus plantation in Santa Rosa is being revived, with the government already in discussions to make available some 210 acres of land for citrus cultivation.
Meanwhile, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute has invested almost $500 million to support farmers expand their agriculture production. The region is also poised to become a major spice producer with all the investments injected by the government.
Billions of dollars have also been injected into improving infrastructure in important areas such as education, health, sports and youth as well as social services integral to residents’ livelihoods.
“Those are the things for you to applaud, things that bring development to your region, things that enhance livelihoods in your region,” President Ali further underscored.
During the community outreach, residents were allowed to voice their concerns and engage in discussions with the president.
Ministers of Housing and Water and Agriculture, Collin Croal and Zulfikar Mustapha respectively, is accompanying the head of state during his two-day outreach.
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