As part of its robust agricultural agenda, the Guyana Government will be building two new hydroponics facilities in Essequibo and Linden.
This was announced over the past two days by President Dr Irfaan Ali, who disclosed that some $200 million will be injected into each of these facilities.
During his address at the opening of the Essequibo Expo on Friday evening, the Head of State explained that this agriculture innovation project will provide employment for
scores of youths and women in the Cinderella County.
The President divulged, “We are opening up tens of thousands of acres of land. We are going to spend in excess of $200 million on an agriculture innovation entrepreneurship project in which we will build a world-class hydroponics facility here and 100 of your young people will be the owners.”
Then this morning, Ali was in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) for the commissioning of new equipment at the Linden Hospital Complex where he also noted a similar project will be undertaken in the mining town.
“Very soon, we will be investing $200 million in Region 10 to support your own hydroponics facility. Development is coming to every corner, every crack, every valley because that is what we’re about. We’re about transforming things for every single category of Guyanese people. One Guyana is about all of Guyana,” the President declared.
Under the innovative entrepreneurship programme for agriculture, Ali contended that at least 35 per cent of new farms and agro-businesses must benefit women and youths.
Over the week, it was reported that production at the hydroponics facility of the National
Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara has been overwhelming for 2023 thus far.
The Head of State visited the facility on Thursday where he was told that harvest for 2023 included two tonnes of chilli peppers, two tonnes of hot peppers, 50,000 heads of lettuce, one tonne of carrots, and 2.4 tonnes of cauliflower. The majority of this produce is used to supply hotels, and excess produce is sold to contiguous communities or agro-processed, thus there is never a waste of food grown.
There are 25,000 plants in the Hydroponics Nursery, and this capacity will reach 100,000 within the next two weeks. These plants include mint, celery, parsley, pakchoy, cucumber, kale, basil, chives and thyme, among others. The Hydroponics Nursery is operated on 10 acres of land, and shade houses measuring 90 feet by 40 feet are used. Using traditional methods, production would require a larger area of land, estimated at 30 acres.
At that time, the President had signalled intentions of building out additional hydroponics
facilities across the country to meet the needs of not just Guyana but the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Guyana is currently leading CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 initiative, that is, reducing the region’s high food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has recently stated that significant progress is being made towards achieving this goal.
