The Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU) with Planet One Agro Ventures Limited for the development of several integrated farm services centres across Guyana.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who signed the MOU on behalf of the government, said that the agreement, to some extent, makes way for a more modernised sector.
“This entails the designing, building, and or construction of industrial standards infrastructure to host processing units, specialized agriculture and laboratories for agriculture research and development among other things. They will also look at the procurement and supply of farm mechanization tools and equipment, crop productivity equipment which includes equipment for soil laboratories, as well as equipment for bio laboratories for biofertilizer and pesticide equipment for ITC laboratories,” he explained in a release from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Mustapha said that the centres will allow the empowerment of farming communities.
“When these centres are set up, farmers within those areas will benefit from technological transfers. They will be able to improve their farming skills while benefiting from technology software development, training, and capacity-building programmes,” he added.
Over the next six months, the release said that Planet One Agro Ven-tures Limited is expected to prepare a detailed project plan, as well as an implementation strategy and a financial proposal, after which both parties will move forward with the project which is expected to be in operation before the end of November 2024.
The release said that Planet One Agro Ventures Limited forms part of the Planet One Group of Companies which serve as a vehicle for farmers to step up and achieve their production targets. Its service centres provide farmers with access to agricultural knowledge on modern farming techniques and storage practices.
The Planet One Group website says that currently its projects are based in Africa and the Middle East. “We are also expanding our horizon to other regions where there is scope to provide solutions that offer maximum societal impact”, it said.
The company is headquartered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
