The equipment that was handed over had been promised to the government when Mayor Wong of the Municipality of Chin Chong visited Guyana in August last, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
And Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, in accepting the donation on behalf of the farmers and the agriculture sector, noted that the donation would be useful and would give support to the El Nino interventions which will be made, especially in the hinterland and even coastal communities.
Declaring that the donation is timely, Persaud said a list has already been compiled of the communities and agencies that will benefit from the equipment. He pointed out that his ministry will be working with the various groups and supports the farming interventions.
Persaud said further that he is very optimistic there will be enlarged development and support in the sector, while highlighting six areas that have been targeted for support in large scale agriculture.
These include a need for more mechanisation to promote large scale exportation of produce from Guyana. Secondly, there has been a promise of transfer of technological training in the area of hybrid rice to increase the per hectare production.
Meanwhile, the ministry will be cultivating new varieties of crops, effecting training in the area of tissue culture and making available more planting equipment. There is also a need for aquaculture to be explored as well as general technological assistance with skills, GINA reported.
Ambassador of China Zhang Jungao said he was certain the donation will be helpful to the people and farmers of Guyana. He noted that it was a reflection of the decades of friendship shared by the two countries, and assured that his embassy would continue to play an active role as a bridge for the two countries.
