The agriculture ministry urged hinterland residents to ‘Grow More’ and utilise forestry resources readily available to them at the Monday launch of the campaign in Region Five.
Minister Robert Persaud and a team comprising ministry officials, Region Five Chairman Harrinarine Baldeo and General Manager at the Guyana Marketing Corpora-tion Nizam Hassan told farmers, loggers that the campaign was launched in response to the current global food shortage. The group held an interactive session at the community centre.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release the team told the group that being self-sufficient will not preclude the government from providing assistance. As regard forestry which is the main economic activity in Moraikobai, Persaud called on villagers to focus on sustainable use and development of forest resources. They were also told to focus on value-added production in order to provide more jobs and opportunities to advance the community.
The team told the gathering that there were various opportunities being offered for forestry stakeholders including in technical operations to ensure sustainable development of the industry.
During the interactive sessions residents expressed interest in the training available for both agricultural and forestry activities and sought clarification on how they can benefit from these opportunities. Farmers requested information on the available export markets and the types of crops in demand. In response, Hassan said local pineapples, peppers and pumpkins are in demand both regionally and on the international market.
Farmers also said they needed firearm licences to protect their crops from wild animals. They also requested assistance to develop the community’s access road. In response, Persaud told the gathering that Amerindians and farmers are being given priority with regard to the issuance of firearm licences. He also said the request for assistance to build an access road will be passed on to the relevant ministers.
GINA said Director at the National Agricultural Re-search Institute Dr Oudho Homenauth, Deputy Com-missioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission Tasreef Khan and Hinterland Co-ordinator at the agriculture ministry John Woodford also attended the outreach.
