A recent survey has found that local farmers have seen a loss of income of up to 50% due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, who says while the prospects for the rest of the year do not look good, there is room to reposition the agriculture sector, including through wresting local and regional markets dominated by imports.
Mustapha told participants during a Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) webinar on Wednesday that Guyana participated in the regional assessment on the impacts of COVID-19 on food security and the agriculture sector.
Mustapha said preliminary findings from the survey, which was carried out by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) over the course of July and August, include the income loss of farmers ranging from 20% to 50%, difficulty in accessing agriculture inputs, such as seeds and planting materials, and fertilizer and pesticides, and higher than usual prices for inputs or their non-availability.