Dear Editor,
For the longest while, it has been said that Guyana could be the bread basket of the Caribbean.
Along the way, many studies and initiatives have been undertaken, unfortunately, to no avail.
These have shown that there is a way, and I am convinced that the will is there. So, why is it not happening?
Recently, the Agriculture Export Diversification Programme (ADP) was put in place to find export markets for quality products and improve the well-being of Guyanese farmers.
Unfortunately, this programme failed miserably.
Three clusters were set up: Fruits and Vegetables − to be overlooked by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI); Livestock − to be overlooked by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA); and Aquaculture − to be overlooked by the Satyadeo Aquaculture Centre. If we were to add the rice, sugar and coconut industries, then one could safely say that the agriculture sector was covered.
The rice industry is in a relatively good state. There have been complaints from some farmers about the price of paddy, in some cases justified. In other cases, because of higher-yielding varieties and good husbandry practices, farmers are earning 100% on their investment in six months, which is not justified.
I honestly believe that the Guyana Rice Development Board has been doing a good job in research and paddy production. So good, that they have not been able to market all their excess production on a timely basis. Guyana trades about 75% of its production, while only 4% of world’s production is traded.
The sugar industry is a different kettle of fish, since it is in lots of trouble. This industry must not be allowed to die, as too many Guyanese are dependent on it and because of the large amount of money recently invested in same. Bearing in mind the state of the industry with the high cost of production, owing to badly maintained factories and poor husbandry practices in the fields, the options for this industry are:
Allow it to die. Distribute the land among the present workers and help them to be productive in other areas. This is where another ADP could play a very pivotal role, ie, encourage production of a quality product for a secure export market.
Privatise individual estates to different buyers.
Privatise the industry to one individual.
The government should definitely not stay in control of this industry, as it will be a drain on much needed resources.
The coconut tree is now classified as the plant of life. If this asset is properly utilised, then there will be lots of benefit to the economy.
For these initiatives to be successful, it is important that the following agencies,
NAREI, GLDA and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation perform effectively.
The Board members of these agencies should be knowledgeable and committed to the development of Guyana. Also, there must be a small independent group to oversee these bodies, to make sure that they carry out their mandate.
Yours faithfully,
Beni Sankar
