While Guyana’s oil resources have catapulted the nation to new heights, the Government of Guyana (GoG) has underscored its commitment to not heavily relying on the petroleum sector. Instead, authorities are a portion of the oil sales to boost other industries, including the agriculture sector. Many Guyanese are on board with this approach, including Omkaar Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Amaya Milk Company.
During a recent episode of the Energy Perspectives podcast, Sharma told Kiana Wilburg, CEO of the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, that the time is now for all interested stakeholders to invest in Guyana’s agriculture sector.
He made this emphatic statement as he shared insights on his journey of returning to Guyana to invest in a US$150M state-of-the-art milk processing facility located in Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice.
“What I’m seeing is a government that’s actually committed to the agricultural sector. They are definitely taking a lot of steps to ensure that you have the support there,” Sharma said.
He noted that the mission to reduce regional imports by 25% by 2025 resonates with him and significantly influenced his decision to return to Guyana. Sharma highlighted that US millions are spent annually to import dairy products into Guyana—money that could be used to boost the local economy.
“If we can cut back that amount, if we can have that, right. Think about what that does for our economy, think about that. What that does for our country…The effects that that would have is tremendous,” he said.
While acknowledging that Guyana does not yet have a technologically advanced dairy sector, Sharma highlighted the potential for growth by learning from the developed world.
He added, “So there’s tremendous opportunities in terms of technology application within the dairy sector, but it’s a process.”
With the government’s gas-to-energy project set to come on stream late next year, with the aim of slashing electricity bills by 50 percent, Sharma encouraged members of the diaspora to consider investing in Guyana’s agriculture sector. He said, “For anybody, you know, within the diaspora that’s looking to come back and invest in agriculture. There’s no better time to do it.”
Sharma also underscored the numerous opportunities available in the nation’s agriculture sector, urging people to fill those areas. “So, I encourage it,” he said.
