Dear Editor,
Trinidad’s Prime Minister Mr Patrick Manning said that his government is not waiting for others to lead the way and will be investing heavily in making Guyana the food basket of the region.
Agriculture is not an abstract theory or philosophy. It is about people and the real world in which they live. Its concern is about the human condition: how people live and work; what they produce and how they produce; how their product is distributed; what is their relationship one to another and to the means of production. It concerns itself with these things because its aim is to promote and enhance the dignity and welfare of the masses of the people by creating conditions in which they can enjoy a useful, happy and productive life.
To this end, it seeks to ensure that all citizens can enjoy as a right the basic necessities for modern, civilised existence; namely, food, about the creation of wealth under humane conditions and the just and equitable distribution of that wealth. Consequently, agricultural investment is a good investment in CARICOM. Investment in Guyana’s agriculture sector is central to the achievement of the primary objective of Caricom’s agricultural policy.
Here in Guyana we have a great amount of man-made wealth in the form of sea and river defences, drainage and irrigation systems, plants and factories. However we need to know what skills the people in our region have and whether those skills are being fully utilised; who is in need of training or further training. When we are fully seized of the facts, when we have identified and assessed the economic potential of our country, when we have given thought to ways and means of making the fullest use of our agriculture potential, then we would have geared ourselves for the task of liberating and developing the productive forces.
A country which depends for its food supply on external sources is in a vulnerable position. It is incapable of guaranteeing its citizens adequate or regular food supplies.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan