Animal exhibition for Agri Investment Forum

The highly anticipated Agri Investment Forum and Expo set for May 19-21 will have live animals on display.

This was revealed by Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha who provided an update on the forum and expo on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC).

Minister Mustapha revealed that over 500 participants, inclusive of 100 exhibitors both foreign and local, 62 agro-processors and several regional heads of government will be in attendance.

“We will have live animals from the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), different breeds of animals, we will have different machineries that normally works in the agriculture sector, things like harvesters, bulldozers, excavators.

“We will also have aquaculture display like the brackish water project we have started in certain parts of the country,” Minister Mustapha said.

A variety of agricultural crops and products will also be displayed. The official opening ceremony for the Forum and Expo will be held on Thursday, May 19 at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.

Final preparations are underway at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre for the Forum and Expo being held under the theme “Investing in Vision 25 by 2025.”

The regional event is in keeping with CARICOM’s aim to reduce its food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025

“The forum is therefore geared towards the promotion, engagement and informed dialogue among key stakeholders along the agri-food value chain of policymakers, development partners, foreign and local private investors, farmers, distributers and on how investment could be encouraged and the 25 per cent by 2025 programme can be accelerated,” Minister Mustapha related.

Day one of the forum and expo will focus on a donor roundtable discussion.

Donor organisations refer to the Caribbean Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, the UN Food Programme and World Food Programme which work directly to support development.

“So, they will have an interest to discuss their options with various states,” Mustapha revealed. The Expo will be opened to the public from 14:00hrs on Day One.

Day two will feature potential investors and other stakeholders on new and emerging opportunities in the region’s agri sector.

The final day – day three – will focus on youths in the sector.

“This investment forum and expo will be the largest gathering of leaders and exhibitors for an agriculture-related event in Guyana and possible in the Region,” Minister Mustapha said.

Meanwhile, CARICOM’s Assistant Secretary-General for Economic, Integration, Innovation and Development, Joseph Cox anticipates the success of the rorum and expo and said it has the potential to be part of the regional agenda.

“I am going to very optimistic and say this will be a regular aspect of the regional agenda because I dare say at this stage of our development, we cannot afford to fail,” Cox said.

Several regional Heads of Government are slated to attend from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Trinidad & Tobago the Bahamas and Montserrat. Ministers from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Jamaica and Suriname