Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, said the local agriculture sector is attracting a lot of interest, noting that Guyana is rapidly advancing due to the Government’s commitment and inputs into the sector.
The minister, who was speaking at a recent engagement with farmers at Naamryck, East Bank Essequibo, said this commitment by the Government is resulting in more foreign investments.
“Guyana is the hot spot, in terms of people lining up to come for investment…we are seeing that our agriculture sector is about to take off rapidly, we are seeing more interest once again in the agriculture sector, this has come about because of the investments we have made,” the minister explained.
Minister Mustapha said the agriculture sector will not be neglected, even as the country’s emerging oil and gas sector expands. He also reiterated the government’s commitment to helping farmers across the country.
“We are seeing revitalisation once again. In last year’s emergency budget, we had $18.6 billion that was expended in the agriculture sector, and this year, we’ll see $22.6 billion so you’ll see increases all the time in the agriculture sector.”
The agriculture minister urged them to prepare for bigger investments in the sector and to plant various crops such as corn and soya bean. He also told them to utilise the agro-processing facility that is being retrofitted at Parika, to ensure they get value for their produce.
“Those things (corn and soya bean) have very lucrative markets in the Caribbean, and right here in Guyana. Today, Guyana is driving the agriculture agenda in the Caribbean, and I want you all to rest assured that we will continue to make critical investments in this sector,” he said. (Extracted and modified from the Department of Public Information)
