The Ministry of Agriculture recently commissioned its Biological and Tissue Culture laboratories and attention will now be focused on a soil testing lab.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) report, the main aim of the laboratories, located at National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, at Mon Repos, is to produce 10,000 disease-free plantlets through tissue culture by 2015 to combat pests and diseases.
GINA stated that the project was undertaken in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy was reported as saying that the new laboratories are essential to Guyana’s development of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) products, which is being actively pursued through a commission established earlier in the year. A GMO policy is being developed, the Minister said, as currently there are 16 million farmers in developing countries utilising GMO products and there is an estimated 366 million acres of land around the world that have been dedicated to GMO production.
To date, Guyana has managed a successful battle against pests and diseases, such as black sigatoka and, carambola fruit flies, which have destroyed the banana and plantain industries in many countries, the minister told the gathering. He added that it is Guyana’s human resource capacity that aided in that accomplishment. In addition, Ramsammy said Guyana’s rice industry was not destroyed by the paddy bug as in other countries and instead Guyana’s scientists made significant strides at the Rice Research Centre by developing 14 new varieties of rice.
Ramsammy also mentioned that the ministry is working closely with GuySuCo to establish a comprehensive soil testing lab in Guyana at its La Bonne Intention facility.
This, the minister said, will allow the agriculture sector to conduct the necessary tests to help the industry realise its full potential. GuySuCo has for a long time maintained a soil testing facility that has been beneficial to both it and the agricultural industry at large, the minister said. He added that the combination of the resources at GuySuCo and that of the ministry will make the development of a comprehensive soil lab in Guyana possible.
Guyana has made many advances in the agricultural sector through collaborative efforts and Ramsammy used the occasion of the commissioning to announce special training in the coconut industry as a result of a partnership with IICA and the Government of Mexico. The training is set for October and 13 persons are expected to benefit from the expertise. The ministry also expects a visit from a Canadian team to conduct training in the dairy industry. In an effort to strengthen the human resource capacity of the sector, the Ministry of Agriculture has extended an invitation to the University of Guyana for closer collaboration.
