Guyana remains on course to help achieve the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) target of reducing the region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha said on Tuesday.
The minister made the disclosure during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), as he outlined the country’s progress in expanding agricultural production and contributing to regional food security.
According to Minister Mustapha, the regional target was established following a CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Belize, where President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali outlined a strategy to reduce the region’s dependence on imported food.
“Guyana has emerged as the leading CARICOM in advancing the agri-food system and, at the same time, a leading voice in prioritising food security,” Minister Mustapha said.
He noted that CARICOM has since adopted the strategy, with member states working collectively to reduce the regional food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.
The minister said Guyana had recorded significant progress, achieving a 77 per cent success rate when the target was assessed in 2025.
He attributed the progress to increased agricultural production, greater investment in the sector and collaboration among CARICOM member states.
“Many countries in the Caribbean, CARICOM, now are requiring our strategy, our help, our expertise,” Minister Mustapha said, noting that Guyana is also providing technical support to countries seeking to expand their agricultural sectors.
Minister Mustapha acknowledged that several Caribbean countries experienced setbacks due to hurricanes and other natural disasters, which affected agricultural production and slowed progress towards the regional target.
Nevertheless, he remains optimistic that the 25 per cent reduction target can be achieved by 2030, particularly as more countries expand their productive and agricultural sectors.
Guyana’s agricultural output has recorded growth across several priority commodities. Domestic production across 15 CARICOM priority commodities increased from 1.41 million tonnes in 2020 to 1.81 million tonnes in 2025, representing an increase of 394,698 tonnes, or 27.9 per cent.
Significant gains were recorded in emerging areas, including corn and coconut production, while Guyana has also expanded soybean production to support the animal feed industry.
The country has also recorded growth in livestock production, with the sector expanding by 12.5 per cent between 2020 and 2025. Poultry production increased by 11.5 per cent, beef by 11.7 per cent, pork by six per cent and eggs by 12.4 per cent.
The minister said Guyana is also pursuing increased onion production, with approximately 300 acres expected to be cultivated in Region Nine during the current crop.
He said the expansion is intended not only to satisfy domestic demand but eventually position Guyana as a net exporter of agricultural commodities to the Caribbean.
“We are not only doing agro-processing to sell locally,” the minister said. “Our agro-processing products are being sold in different parts of the Caribbean.”
Guyana’s agricultural transformation is therefore expected to play a central role in supporting the country’s food security objectives while contributing to CARICOM’s collective efforts to achieve the 25 per cent food import reduction target by 2030.
