With the United States likely to cut funding for the Caribbean Agricultural Productivity Improvement Activity (CAPA) programme, the government is moving to have it continued and incorporated into the national agriculture development plans, Minis-ter of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has said.
“It was funding from USAID through CAPA and they worked a lot with private people here in Guyana. But with NAREI, they had dealt with the cherry farmers and so forth, but if it is cut here in Guyana we will continue with it…,” Mustapha told Stabroek News.
“We won’t cease any viable agriculture programmes in Guyana because agriculture is on the front burner for us. We have already set aside for agriculture development in the national budget and this can be absorbed and incorporated where we bring in all the players here,” he added.
On Thursday, US Ambassador Nicole Theriot said that Washing-ton was prioritizing support for Guyana’s upcoming elections despite widespread cuts to foreign aid under the Donald Trump administration but that it was likely that the CAPA programme would be cut.
