Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, is calling on communities along the Berbice River to move into large-scale bean production, as Government ramps up investments aimed at establishing the area as Guyana’s main production base for beans.
Minister Mustapha made the call during a visit to Kimbia, Region 10, where he highlighted a number of investments being advanced to support the expansion of the sector, including the newly developed Bean Conditioning and Storage Facility and the provision of mechanisation to farmers.
According to the Minister, the objective is for communities along the Berbice River to significantly increase production and for all of Guyana’s beans to be produced in the area.
The push is being supported through the provision of eight tractors, eight rotovators and a harvester to farmers in DeVeldt, Geatroy, Fort Nassau, Sand Hills, Kimbia, Ebini, Wiruni and Wikwi. The equipment is intended to facilitate mechanised land preparation and planting, allowing farmers to expand the acreage under cultivation and increase production of crops such as black-eyed peas and red beans.
The investment in production is being complemented by infrastructure to handle the crop after harvest. During the visit, Minister Mustapha inspected the new Bean Conditioning and Storage Facility at Kimbia, which is being developed with six silos, each with a capacity of 250 tonnes, for a combined storage capacity of 1,500 tonnes. The facility will also include wet and dry bins, a warehouse and a processing plant.
The Minister’s call comes as Government seeks to build a complete production chain around the commodity—from mechanised cultivation and increased acreage to storage, conditioning and processing—while creating the capacity to supply both local and export markets.
During the Kimbia visit, Minister Mustapha also engaged staff of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) on challenges affecting farmers and the need for stronger coordination in delivering support to the sector.
The Minister further inspected the pasture where 300 pregnant heifers, forming part of Government’s National Herd Expansion Programme, are currently being managed. The animals are part of a planned importation of 1,000 pregnant heifers from Brazil to strengthen the genetic quality and productivity of Guyana’s beef and dairy herds.
The developments form part of Government’s broader push to expand agricultural production in Region 10, increase farmers’ productive capacity and build stronger value chains around locally produced commodities.
