By Staff Writer
In 2022, the PPP/C Government intends to invest a whopping $261M to advance the development of the agro-processing sector.
According to Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, the allocation is set to address some of the challenges that plague the subsector such as high cost of production, limited financing, restrictive legislation, limited access to markets, and low technology transfer.
Mustapha said these factors have persistently hampered the development of the agro-processing sector over the years with the former regime doing little to nothing to change the status quo. He added that in 2022, his ministry will be investing $63 million in the retrofitting and equipping of three agro-processing facilities in White Water Creek, Shulinab, and Charity so as to ensure all agro-processors have easy and affordable access to certified processing facilities. He said this will benefit over 1,500 farmers.
Further to this, Minister Mustapha said $96.5M will be invested to ensure the operationalization of the agro-processing and packaging facilities in Sophia, Parika, and Mabaruma.
He explained that the agro-processing facilities will function both for commercial production and product development for small and medium agro-processors. He said it would also ensure that domestic consumers have access to high quality, high value, and innovative local products that are internationally competitive.
With access to certified facilities, he added that local manufacturers are also expected to have better access to international markets.
Furthermore, the official said the Guyana Marketing Corporation will be establishing one-stop business incubators in Regions 3, 5, 9, and 10 to ensure agro-processors have easy, reliable, and timely access to the necessary agri-business support services and products. This initiative he said will benefit over 2,500 stakeholders.
Speaking to another key development, the Minister disclosed that GMC will invest $19M to construct the country’s first-ever ‘Fruits & Vegetables Dehydrating Facility.’ He said this will be quite an achievement for the country in the subsector since market demands for dehydrated fruits continue to grow regionally at a rate of approximately US$1M annually. He is confident that the facility would increase opportunities for local farmers and agro-processors to tap this lucrative niche market.
Finally, the Minister was pleased to share as well that $8M will be invested to construct three solar dryers. These he said will extend shelf-life and reduce post-harvest losses of perishable agricultural commodities.
