Several farmers have expressed their appreciation after receiving agriculture equipment and inputs to further expand their farming capacity, as the government continues to advance its food security efforts.
The equipment included incubators, land tillers, pasture fencing materials, plucking machines, water pumps and fittings, farrowing crates, and single-barrel vacuum milking machines for cows.
The handing-over exercise was held at the ministry’s head office, Regent Street, Georgetown on Friday.
Farmer, Orian Prince of East Bank Demerara, received a water pump. “I feel alright because it will at least help me to water my plants. I used to use buckets and water cans. This will help me better and I’m so thankful for it,” Prince told the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Another farmer, Desmond Fredericks, who received a ploughing machine, expressed gratitude to the government for its timely and ongoing support for agriculture and the overall growth of the industry.
The donation was made possible through the Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme (SADP) with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The estimated cost of the programme is US$3 million and targets small and medium farmers from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and 10 over the duration of the project.
During brief remarks, Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha highlighted that the programme is a continuous initiative with the IDB, to provide assistance and support to farmers to boost productivity.
“Right now, Guyana is in the spotlight in terms of agricultural development. I want to complement and thank the IDB for its support over the years. Approximately 6,000 farmers will benefit from this programme.”
The government continues to make heavy investments to further expand the sector’s food production capacity which signals its commitment for Guyana to be food secured.
“Our president is very passionate about the agriculture sector…As a matter of fact, he has already written two books on how we should use the crisis to build and create opportunities for us,” Minister Mustapha added.
Meanwhile, IDB’s Representative, Lorena Solórzano-Salazar emphasised that it is crucial for the bank to partner with Guyana towards the development of the sector through the programme and it will continue to provide support to the country. “The machines will support your production.
The ministry has also catered for the extension services. It is giving you technical assistance, which is an ingredient to promote increased production…These resources will also support the food producers in their daily activities, which will contribute to sustainable farming processes to enhance productivity and efficiency,” Solórzano-Salazar noted.
