Tools & seeds among $1.8M support for Reg. 5 farmers

Three farmers groups from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) on Wednesday, benefited from farming tools and other inputs to boost their production totaling some $1.8 million.

During a regional outreach at the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agriculture Development Authority, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha handed over the items to representatives from the Cotton Tree Farmers’ Group, the Zee Zight Farmers’ Group, and the Number Nine Farmers’ group.

The minister explained that given Guyana’s leading role in CARICOM, as it relates to agriculture, the government has been making funds available to that farmers can benefit from resources to improve and increase their production.

“Two years ago, during a Heads of Government meeting, our President made a presentation detailing how CARICOM can reduce its food import bill by 25% by the year 2025. In Guyana, since we got back into office, a number of people are looking to get back into agriculture because they see that this government has taken an interest in the sector.

“We know that without agriculture, there is no food security so we are making the funds available to ensure small farmers and farmers’ groups have the necessary resources to develop and increase their production,” he noted.

Melina Vossey, President of the Number Nine farmers’ Group while receiving the items on behalf of the group thanked the ministry and the government for the donation. She noted that the group consists of 30, cash-crop farmers

“We made a request last December to the ministry for some tools and assistance. This is the first time we’ve received farming equipment or any form of assistance from any government. I feel so good because our group was established last February. I was a part of another group that fell apart so we decided to form another group.

“These tools will benefit our farmers because they cannot afford to buy some of the tools. Our members are very thankful and we will use it to develop our farms,” she noted.

Some of the items handed over include motorized tillers, hoes, cutlasses, forks, shovels, water pumps, grass cutters, seeds, and other chemicals and inputs. (Ministry of Agriculture press release)