The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute’s (NAREI) 54 shade houses located in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, have yielded notable results, President Irfaan Ali was informed when he conducted a site visit to assess the progress of the onion project and high-value crops.
A Department of Public Information (DPI) press release said that CEO of the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP) Tisha Mangra-Singh provided a comprehensive update to the President, revealing that 54 shade houses had yielded two tonnes of chili peppers, two tonnes of hot peppers, one tonne of carrots, over 50,000 heads of lettuce, and 2.4 tonnes of cauliflowers among other produce. The release said that cultivation extended to other crops such as kale, mint, ‘blue star’ sweet peppers, celery, cilantro, and parsley, with each shade house generating 1,000 to 1,500 heads of lettuce every three weeks. The harvested produce supplies the local community, NAREI’s market day, hotels, and farmers’ markets, and are sold at competitive prices. The high-value crops cultivated are in demand not only in Guyana but also throughout the Caribbean, the release said.
NAREI, according to DPI, plays a pivotal role in supporting beneficiaries by providing essential infrastructure such as shade houses, technical systems, and extensions. Significantly, Guyana has emerged as a supplier to the Caribbean, with 30 shade houses designated for Barbados, two for Grenada, and 20 for Trinidad and Tobago. Moreover, there are approximately 317 shade houses established in various schools across the country. President Ali, during the inspection, also focused on the onion project spanning 2.6 acres of land. The Brazilian variety of onions, planted to reduce the country’s dependence on imports, demonstrated a harvest of about 9.5 tonnes per acre across the 12 beds. The President was informed that onions could be produced twice a year with favourable results.
Ali expressed optimism at the potential impact of scaling up the onion project. “Once we go after those 200 acres [of onions], we will replace all of our imports for onions. We will replace all the special types of lettuce, cucumber, pakchoi, and then, target the regional markets,” he was quoted as saying. He emphasised that strategic targeting of regional markets will foresee a reduction in the cost of food imports for the region and a significant contribution to national food security. Along with Mangra-Singh, Ali was also accompanied by Chief Executive Officer of NAREI Jagnarine Singh, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture Madanlall Ramraj and other officials.
