Agriculture is taking off in the mainly mining community of Mahdia in Region 8.
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, accompanied by the Heads of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Nigel Cumberbatch; National Drainage & Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Freddy Flatts; Department of Fisheries, Denzil Roberts and National Agriculture Research & Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr Oudho Homenauth visited the recently inaugurated town of Mahdia on Thursday as part of an outreach exercise.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) press release, this was the last in a series of visits to mining towns.
Many positive developments in the area of agriculture were revealed, notably that the cost of poultry and fresh farm produce in Mahdia has been greatly reduced as a result of the efforts of farmers in the community, the DPI release added.
The team visited the farms of Roger Hinds, Lennox Nedd, Stuart (only name given) and poultry farmer Richard Hohenkirk, where they were shown a variety of innovative approaches being deployed for the development of agriculture in its many forms.
The challenge for farmers in Guyana’s interior is usually the weather which features an extended dry period. Businessman/farmer Hinds has incorporated the use of the Hydro Irrigation System and the storage of water in plastic tanks on his farm to maintain water supply during the dry spells.
His four-acre plot boasts a variety of crops, including vegetables, spices, fruits and a huge section dedicated to citrus, all of which are currently in full production. Other innovations revealed to the visiting team included greenhouses with vegetables such as pak choy, sweet peppers and lettuce.
In his interaction with Holder, Hinds gave the assurance that he, along with other farmers, are committed to producing enough to make the town self-sufficient in vegetables and poultry supplies.
“For as long as I can remember, the only source of fresh veggies and meat was from the coast and this was at a significant cost for transport through the trail or by aircraft. This cost was passed on to the residents of the community – I wanted to change that, I wanted to bring down the cost of food in Mahdia,” Hinds was quoted as saying.
Hinds, who operates the Roger Hinds’ Hotel, a supermarket complex and wholesale depot in the town also took the team on a tour of his poultry operation which has successfully reared the GLDA’s Black Giant dual-purpose chickens to produce eggs. He disclosed that the Black Giant chickens have significantly impacted the cost of an egg in Mahdia.
“I get approximately 400 eggs a week from these chickens, and I sell them along with the other produce at the farm at my supermarket. Previously a tray of eggs could be as much as $3000, I sell for $1500 including the tray,” he added
The cost of poultry has also been positively impacted by the efforts of farmer Hohennkirk who said he saw a need in the town and was the first to establish a poultry operation there. He stated, “I would see how much a pound of chicken would cost us here in Mahdia, as much as $1,200 at times. But I understood the challenges suppliers had in sourcing the meat in Georgetown, then having it refrigerated for the long haul here, I felt I had a plan that could ease the hassle. Today, that plan is paying off for me and for the consumers of my town.”
Hohenkirk sells his chickens at $320 per pound to wholesalers who would then retail it for around $500 per pound.
At the farm managed by Stuart, the Minister and team were shown his efforts in the production of papaya and citrus and other fruits such as soursop and sugar apples.
Holder, DPI said, has committed to working with the Region Eight, Regional Democratic Council along with the Department of Lands and Surveys to enable farmers to access lands in order to facilitate the continued growth of agriculture in that part of the Potaro-Siparuni region.
