The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) will be supporting Amazon Caribbean Guyana Ltd (AMCAR) in its planned US$2M organic farm in Berbice.
A NAREI release said that the company plans to invest US$2M in a 500-acre organic farm there for the açaí berry and processed mixed fruits (pineapples, mangoes, watermelons and papaws) in glass jars for export, and in expanding its Berbice Factory in Rosignol to accommodate the higher production.
Chief Executive Officer of NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth and a team recently met with J. Denys Bourque, AMCAR Projects Manager at NAREI, Mon Repos, the release said. AMCAR is seeking the Institute’s help on a variety of items including the selection of cultivars; the availability and supply of planting materials for the selected fruits; soil improvement and water management; and organic farming practices. Key to AMCAR’s operations is organic farming, which the company has been actively promoting, the release noted. Dr. Homenauth has confirmed NAREI’s readiness to support the company in this newest venture, the release said. As part of this collaboration, the Institute will provide advice and collect data on land preparation, pest management using neem (Azadirachta indica), a tree reputed for its insecticidal properties, organic fertilisation using compost, recedia and nitrogen-fixing trees and yields.
Under the first phase of the venture, which is underway, the company is developing 100 acres of land, 30 km upriver from Rosignol, Region Five. Up to 30 jobs will result on the farm, in its factory in Rosignol and in services. At the factory two new production lines will be installed, one for the açaí berry and the other for mixed fruits, mostly for the European markets.
Amazon Caribbean Guyana Ltd was founded in 1987. It operates a second factory in Barima-Waini, Region One where it is processing organic heart of palm, also for export. In total, the company provides sustainable livelihood opportunities to some 1500 persons from various communities in the areas in which it operates.
