Agronomist Dr Oudho Homenauth passed away on Tuesday at the age of 65.
Dr Homenauth was the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).
On his Facebook page yesterday, President Irfaan Ali said: “I express deepest sympathies to the family, colleagues and friends of former Head of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, Dr (Oudho) Homenauth.
Dr. Homenauth was a consummate professional who served the country’s agriculture sector with distinction”.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha along with the management and staff of the Ministry and its agencies yesterday extended condolences to the relatives and friends of Dr Homenauth.
“Dr. Homenauth served as Chief Executive Officer of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute for over two decades. His contribution to the sector remains invaluable and will never be forgotten”, a statement from the ministry said.
In an interview with Stabroek News on March 12th last year on his time at NAREI following his abrupt removal by this government, Dr Homenauth had bemoaned being unable to say goodbye to his staff.
He stated: “I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all the staff for the work that they have done over the past years and I hope they continue in the same vein,” he said, adding that he hoped Guyanese farmers continue to benefit from the initiatives pursued during his tenure.
Dr Homenauth said that he was most proud of how the work of the institute over the last two decades had positively affected the availability of food.
“I’m proud of the variety of different fruits and vegetables that is on the market. Except for one or two times there has been no shortage of fruit and vegetables in Guyana. I’m proud of the number of new crops introduced and that we’ve done a lot to adapt to climate change through shade houses and irrigation systems,” he told Stabroek News.
