Dear Editor,
UNDER the stewardship and guidance of the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, the sector has shown significant growth in most sub-sectors, despite the challenges faced by the government after assuming office in August, 2020.
The agricultural sector has maintained a significant contribution to the nation’s non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 23.2 percent in 2024. The sector encompasses a diverse range of activities, including rice and sugar production, livestock farming, aquaculture and the cultivation of fruits and vegetables.

Agriculture has remained a cornerstone in Guyana’s economic transformation, playing a pivotal role in driving sustainable growth and diversification in Guyana’s non-oil economy.
The government’s commitment to expanding the critical agricultural sub-sectors is reflected in the substantial increase in budgetary allocations from 2020 to now, which saw a remarkable rise of approximately 430.43 percent, signalling a strong dedication to sustainable agricultural development.
The overarching vision for the longer-term development of the agricultural sector has been for Guyana to have a competitive, dynamic and diversified, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable agri-food system.
This has led to the implementation of several new initiatives and growth in production. The agricultural, fishing, and forestry sectors grew by 11 percent in 2024.

The Drainage and Irrigation (NDIA, MMA) has significantly reduced the D&I fees and land-rental charges from ($15,000 to $3,500) which benefitted 22,000 famers; the construction of Hope-like Canals in Regions Five and Six, costing approximately G$18 billion and aids in flood protection for 513,325 acres of land. Additionally, 8,600 miles of drains and canals were rehabilitated and maintained and pump stations were constructed.
With 19 pumps of which seven stations are currently under construction to the value of G$10.2 billion- and 167-miles of farm-to-market access roads was constructed in Regions Two, Three, Four and Five, see areas respectively (Golden Fleece, Sparta, Onderneeming), (la Harmony, Maria’s Lodge, Parika ken Dam, Hague etc.), (Victoria, Nabacalis, Buxton, Friendship) and (MMA Scheme).

In the Pomeroon area, specific interventions and emphasis are being placed on clearing blocked drains and bed and drains work, acquisition and deployment of pontoons and excavators in the Upper and Lower Pomeroon, along with the dredging of the Pomeroon river mouth to the value of G$2.5 billion.
In the rice industry, the ministry continues to carry out extension works and provide better systems to meet the needs of rice farmers. For the first time in Guyana’s history, rice production surpassed the 700,000 tonnes margin, peaking at 725,282 tonnes.
This represents an increase of 11 percent when compared to the production of 653,706 metric tonnes recorded for 2023. This resulted in an expansion of 9.3 percent growth in our rice industry. During 2022 -2024, allocation of fertilisers to the farmers amounted to G$1.850 billion, while an additional G$2 billion has been budgeted for 2025.

There were reductions in the commission paid to GRDB by exporters from US$8 to US$6 per MT, effective from April 1, 2022, while the sales commission was removed for the first crop of 2023, which allowed farmers to benefit from higher prices of paddy at $4,500 per bag.
The production capacity of seeds has been increased to meet the growing market demand for rice farmers for quality seeds to 152,000 bags per year (BBP-12,000 bags, #56 – 16,000 bags, Burma – 24,000 bags, MMA – 100,00 bags), which have resulted in an expansion of MMA Seed Facility which now produces 50,00 bags of seed paddy per crop.
In an effort to support continued expansion, G$430.9 million has been allocated for 2025 for rice, to construct #56 Seed Storage facilities, introduce specialised broadcast equipment, promoting precision agriculture and improving crop efficiency with a Paddy Bug Management programme restarted to protect the produce.

The Petro Caribe rice deal with Venezuela collapsed under the APNU+AFC administration after waiting for almost a decade, 27 farmers and five millers received a total of G$437 million as outstanding payments for 2024. This was made possible through the interventions of President Ali’s initiative.
The PPP/C government, through its hard work and dedication to sustain and develop the rice industry, secured access to new markets in Latvia, Hungary, the British Virgin Islands, Slovenia, Estonia, Lebanon, Angola and Sierra Leone.
The government approach to improve rice in our local market and has introduced new varieties of rice over the past four years: GRDB 16, GRDB 18 and Bio-fortified rice (GRDB17), all of which have yield potentials of between seven and nine tonnes per hectare.
The ministry has continued to invest in infrastructural upgrades in the rice industry, such as the construction of Germplasms Bank valued at G$14 million in 2021, the digitisation of rice land valued G$12 million in 2022, which resulted in all rice plots in every region being digitised, extensive research for laboratory for value added, soil, Germplasm storage facility, Insectary and Screen House are currently ongoing along with introduction of technology and machinery; drones, specialised tractors for broadcasting fertilisers and seeds and application of pesticides, with the current upgrades construction of nine drying floors in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six with two more being constructed in Region Two, Sparta village and Region Six, Liverpool village.
With all the development and great initiatives that are contributing to growth in the rice industry, the removal of the value-added taxe and duties on machinery, equipment, agrochemicals, fertilisers and pesticides have provided relief to the farmers and other beneficiaries of the sector by reducing costs on imports and driving our mechanisation efforts.

The other sectors such as NAREI, Hope has showed significant increase in corn and soya production from 115 acres of produce in 2021 to 12,000 acres in 2024: in the production of over 1 million plantlets, Soil Labs to the value of G$100 million, tissue-culture labs to the value of G$380 million, along with the importation 103,000 of high-yielding coconut seeds planted on 7,113 acres in 2020: over G$50 million in planting materials for spices such as ginger, turmeric, nutmeg and black pepper, which have benefitted over 2,000 farmers.
Agro- processing is vital and while sustaining and implementing 15 agro-processing and packaging facilities has been constructed/retrofitted and 11 were completed in Watooka, Karaundarnau, Fort Wellington, Kumaka, White Water, Charity, Maruranau, Orealla, St. Ignatius, Hope, Bartica and added to that a separate facility for the processing of cassava which will assist over 200 farmers with marketing fresh cassava tubers.

In the livestock (GLDA) and fisheries subsectors, due to the growth and market demand, the Agriculture Ministry has embarked on a Boiler Breeder Project which produced 167,000 hatching eggs and benefitted 5,566 farmers.
There is also the Apiculture Advancement: the production of honey, where 500 hives were distributed to 1,344 apiculturists, moving honey production from 2,600 gallons in the 2023 to almost 30,000 gallons in 2024.
In the livestock sub-sector, the implementation of genetic improvement programmes has been carried out in six regions of which 34 farmers benefitted from the bull importation resulting in 220 births to date.
Additionally, 15 pens have been established nationwide as part of the tunnel houses initiative which will aid in reducing endemic diseases and increasing biosecurity and production of meat and hatching eggs.

On the note of expansion and development in the fisheries sector, the Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station at Mon Repos has expanded to 14 acres while the fisheries landing sites in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six have benefitted from improvement works values at approximately G$300 million.
Additional works include the installation of vessel-monitoring devices for commercial vessels in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six along with brackish water shrimp farming in Region 6 production has increased from 112,00kg in 2021 to over 1.1M kg in 2024.
In an economy that is growing at a rapid pace, all the efforts of President Ali’s led administration are commendable. They have been working tirelessly to improve every sector in our nation. The government is committed to Agriculture and food production and will continue to develop and support the industry.
We understand the benefits agriculture has to offer to our nation and by extension overseas countries that we supply. The goal is to ensure that every farmer and every beneficiary benefits from the growth and expansion of this industry
Yours truly,
Neil Kumar and Alechia Amos