On Tuesday, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Agriculture, signed a historic agreement with the Government of the Dominican Republic to commence large-scale cocoa and coffee cultivation in Region One. This milestone initiative aims to establish approximately 200 acres each of coffee and cocoa as part of Guyana’s broader efforts to boost economic diversification, enhance rural livelihoods, and expand regional trade.
The agreement underscores the importance of sustainable agriculture and technical cooperation and will support the development, cultivation, processing, and marketing of both crops. It will also pave the way for joint research and development programmes, as well as value-added production and trade facilitation in the cocoa and coffee sectors.
During the signing, Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, emphasized the government’s commitment to introducing high-value crops to reduce Guyana’s and the wider region’s food import bill.
“This forms part of the government’s agenda to integrate new crops into the sector. While there has been an expansion in the cultivation of traditional crops, over the last five years, we’ve facilitated and invested in the cultivation of new crops—things that we usually import like carrots, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce. Cocoa and coffee are crops that we started to cultivate. We’ve been working with IICA to ensure we develop the industry. With this agreement, it will make a tremendous improvement because we have the land, and we’ll also have the infrastructure in place to ensure production is sustainable,” Minister Mustapha stated.
At peak production, the project is expected to yield approximately 8,000 metric tonnes of cocoa. Additionally, nearly 3,000 individuals are projected to benefit both directly and indirectly from employment and economic opportunities generated through the initiative.
This agreement builds on President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s strategic vision for agricultural revitalization in Region One. During a 2024 outreach to Waramuri Village in Barima-Waini, President Ali highlighted the region’s enormous agricultural potential and announced plans to establish a 10,000-acre coffee plantation featuring Arabica and Liberica varieties. He noted the government’s commitment to restoring Region One as a prominent coffee-producing area through strategic investment and the distribution of thousands of cocoa plants.
