Agri Ministry to launch digital app to better support farmers

The Ministry of Agriculture is set to launch a new digital app aimed at improving farmers’ access to real-time agricultural support, including soil management guidance and weather forecasts.

The announcement was made by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha during his appearance on the Starting Point podcast at the weekend.

“We will be launching an app where anyone can go on that app and get any information on agriculture.

“You can go on that app and get weather forecast, get all the soil mapping so if you go in Black Bush Polder, it will tell you what can grow in Black Bush Polder, if you go to Linden, it will tell you,” Mustapha said.

This app will provide accurate and actionable information sourced from the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute, allowing farmers to make better-informed decisions based on their location.

Mustapha explained that the platform will offer area-specific recommendations, outlining which crops are best suited for different regions across the country.

“You will see in different areas, what the type of crops are that can be planted so that you can get better markets for it,” the minister said.

The app forms part of the ministry’s broader push to modernise the agriculture sector through digital solutions, placing timely and reliable data directly into the hands of farmers.

He also said the government is hopeful that by the end of next month, a data centre will be commissioned to provide data for the wider Caribbean. Similar to the App it will include weather patterns, soil types and recommended crops for various territories.

The idea for this facility stemmed from President Dr Irfaan Ali’s visit to Costa Rica, where a similar model exists at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) headquarters.

He said this is important because the government is aiming to modernise the agriculture sector which has for many years only adopted traditional means of work.

“Farmers don’t take technology seriously, they want to do things how their foreparents used to do things so we want to change that concept, change that culture,” he said.

The minister further outlined plans to modernise the fishing industry through digital platforms and infrastructure upgrades. Over 500 vessels now have tracking devices on them. The Fisherfolk Organisation is working with the government to conduct digital training and track the fisherfolk in a system.