- Minister Mustapha tells Banakari/Tiger Bone residents
During a visit to Banakari/Tiger Bone Village along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha met with residents to discuss the government’s vision for agricultural and infrastructural development in the region, and across the country, over the next five years.
The visit formed part of a Cabinet Outreach, where Ministers of Government fanned out across the Soesdyke–Linden Highway and engaged residents on the development priorities for their communities.
While engaging with residents, Minister Mustapha stated that from 2025 to 2030, the government will undertake critical projects that will foster accelerated development in every sector, further building on the tremendous progress made from 2020 to 2025. He emphasized that this new term will focus heavily on expanding agriculture, modernizing infrastructure, and empowering small-scale farmers.
“We are building state-of-the-art facilities and have already taken health care to a new level. In agriculture, we are moving beyond traditional methods. With what we are doing at Yarrowkabra, you too will benefit. There is a lot of land in this area, and we want to work with you to unlock its full potential,” the Minister said.
Minister Mustapha also noted that plans are underway for the development of an additional 100,000 acres of land for agricultural purposes to further boost production and agricultural diversification.
“We want to develop an additional 100,000 acres of land to bring it under cultivation. You have a lot of land in this area, and we will work with you to develop these lands so that we can boost production. You know we are building a food hub at Yarrowkabra, so we need to produce enough food to ensure the food hub operates at its full capacity,” he noted.
Furthermore, Minister Mustapha stressed the importance of transitioning away from solely primary production and towards more value-added, smart agriculture practices. This, he said, includes the introduction of hydroponics and other modern farming techniques to increase productivity and sustainability.
To support this transition, Minister Mustapha told the residents that the government is moving forward with the establishment of an interest-free development bank. This initiative, he explained, will help small-scale farmers access affordable financing to expand their operations, especially those who have struggled to secure funding through traditional financial institutions.
“We know that many small farmers want to grow their holdings but lack the capital. That’s why we made a commitment in this five-year term to establish a development bank that provides interest-free loans. Farmers will be able to access financing without collateral so that they can expand their operations,” he stated.
While speaking about the success of the corn and soya project in the Tacama Savannah, Minister Mustapha said that production is going very well and that Guyana is working towards becoming a net exporter of the grains used for feed in the livestock sector.
“Right now, we are producing just over 4.5 tons per hectare. That is more than Brazil’s average, and they have been producing these commodities for many years. We will work to expand this project so that we can produce the feed for the livestock industry and then become a net exporter to the region. I said that to say this project is being managed by a consortium, with the government investing in the infrastructure. So, I encourage you to form yourselves into consortia so that you can increase your overall production. We will work with you to develop the necessary infrastructure,” he noted.
Minister Mustapha was joined by Chief Investment Officer, Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.
