In the face of the current arid conditions countrywide due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, President David Granger on Friday said the government’s challenge is making agriculture more resi-lient.
“As we celebrate World Food Day, we are facing an El Niño threat in some parts of the country,” Granger told a large gathering at the Agricultural Fair hosted at the Uitvlugt Community Centre Ground on Friday to mark World Food Day.
Granger said the Rupununi, which is experiencing a prolonged dry season, has been particularly affected by the situation.
He noted that the “challenge of the government, therefore, is to make agriculture more resilient. We also need to ensure greater food security in areas where poverty is more concentrated.”
The theme for this year’s observation of World Food Day is ‘Social Protection and Agricul-ture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty’ and the president used the occasion to reaffirm government’s commitment to ensuring greater food security.
This, he said, would allow all Guyanese to have access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy, and active life.
Granger said although the hinterland is the largest part of the country, it is sparsely populated and experiences food insecurity. Many districts in hinterland, he noted, have less access to irrigation so food security becomes a problem.
However, he noted that government intends to transform the hinterland into the new agriculture frontier to produce food for export.
He said in an effort to ensure greater food security in the hinterland areas, government intends to establish Regional Agricu-lture Institutes.
The president said Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder is tasked with establishing the institutes, which are necessary to provide tertiary training for young people who may otherwise seek to leave their home territories for jobs.
According to Granger, food security is built on three pillars; the availability of a consistent and sufficient amount of food; ensuring resources to obtain nutritious food; and the knowledge of food use.
“Food security is important because it will enhance our ability to eradicate extreme poverty. To break the cycle of poverty we must understand what are the most vulnerable sections of our population and which are the most susceptible areas of our country,” he said.
He said government would also continue to support coastal agriculture, such as rice and sugar.
He said it would seek greater investment in agro-processing and take steps to stimulate cottage industries, thereby creating jobs and providing sources of income, particularly for women and young people coming out of school.
The Agriculture Minis-ter would also be focusing on “pasture development, beef and dairy development and education development,” the president said, while assuring that the country is on the move.
