$70M Lesbeholden seed processing facility commissioned

On Saturday, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned the Lesbeholden seed processing facility in Black Bush Polder on the Corentyne Coast in Region Six.

Some $70M was expended to rehabilitate the facility as well as procure and install a dryer and other critical equipment.

Minister Mustapha, while offering remarks at the event said that farmers from Black Bush Polder and other cultivation areas in Region Six will now have access to adequate seed paddy.

He also said after the facility was constructed, it developed some mechanical issues but from 2015 to 2020, no efforts were made to correct those issues.

“There were times when farmers had to travel out of the region to source seed paddy. With this facility being operable now, those farmers will be able to access quality seed paddy right here in Black Bush Polder. After this facility was constructed, it developed some mechanical issues. Then elections came in 2015 and the then PPP government went out of office. From 2015 to 2020, this project was left at a standstill. There were all kinds of excuses about what rice farmers were doing at that time and that rice farming was a private business. I’m here to tell you that rice is not a private business, it is the people’s business. This is a very important sector as it contributes significant revenue to this country’s GDP,” he explained.

Minister Mustapha also said that the production capacity of the Black Bush Polder has improved significantly over the last four years through research and investments.

“Over the last four years, we’ve been able to transform this industry from a subsistent industry to one that now earns billions of dollars. This transformation shows clearly that the government has been making the necessary investments to develop and modernize this important industry. Many years ago, this area was the lowest-yielding area, producing just about 2.6 tonnes per hectare. Now, farmers are producing an average of 6.6 tonnes per hectare. We’ve come a long way, modernizing this industry through research and investment,” Minister Mustapha said.

Back in April 2021, Minister Mustapha visited the area and expressed his disappointment with the dormant and shabby state of the facility. The minister immediately committed to ensuring that the facility would once again become operable.

“I’m very disappointed, that since this facility was constructed, it has not been put into operation. I can’t say exactly what happened, but, after examining the equipment, I was very shocked to see the state of the dryer, the processor, and the generator. We have some money in the budget, and I’ve asked the GRDB to work along with the RPA to give us an estimate for the repairs. It is very important for us to make this facility operable because we have a lot of demands now for seed paddy. Once we rehabilitate it, many farmers will be able to benefit,” Minister Mustapha had said.

In addition to the equipment, a drying floor was also constructed to reduce instances of farmers drying paddy on public roadways.

Lesbeholden seed paddy facility is one of five such facilities in the country. (Ministry of Agriculture press release)