Game-changing ‘situation room’ for agri sector coming – Mustapha 

A “situation room” that is being set up will function as a “command centre” for all agricultural activities in Guyana and the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region.

This was revealed by Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha on Monday as he addressed the launch of the Agriculture Information System (AIS) at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

“We are working to build a situation room which will be a data centre not only for Guyana but the entire region where we will have real-time data generated for any place in the Caribbean,” Mustapha revealed.

Mustapha said the situation room will represent tremendous development for the sector.

“The situation room will enable us to anticipate challenges, respond to crises as they arise, and implement proactive measures to mitigate risks. As we look to future, I am filled with optimism for the continued growth of Guyana’s agriculture sector,” Mustapha said.

He reiterated the ambitious plan of reducing the region’s food import bill by 25 percent by 2025.

Through this venture, countries agreed to grow more food, trade more among each other and import less from extra-regional sources.

However, the impact of hurricane Beryl on the Caribbean earlier this year has been disastrous and some islands’ agriculture sector completely wiped out, resulting in a direct setback to this vision.

Last week, Mustapha said that Guyana’s agriculture sector is the backbone of the economy and has been trumping major challenges like climate change, population growth and evolving dietary needs.

At the launch of Agriculture Month 2024, Minister Mustapha said by 2025, the country would see a US$40 million reduction in importation, representing funds that can be used in other areas.