Farmers to benefit from more pest and disease resistant plantlets by mid- 2026 – Mustapha

Farmers across Guyana are expected to benefit significantly as the government moves to increase the production of pest and disease resistant planting materials to more than one million annually by mid-2026.

Currently, the Biotechnology Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), which was officially commissioned in October 2025, can produce over one million planting materials yearly. 

Speaking recently at an event. Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, said the facility is already preparing planting materials for distribution nationwide, marking a major shift from its production levels.

“Because of the growing demand for planting materials, we are unable to supply farmers with enough planting materials. We have been producing between 15,000 to 20,000 plantlets, now we are producing annually over a million planting material from the tissue culture lab.

“That is not all because as I said we are embracing technology, we are trying to modernise the sector, we will be producing planting material from that lab by mid this year so that farmers can have these planting materials,” Mustapha said.

Importantly, Mustapha noted that the plantlets being produced at the laboratory are both pest-resistant and disease-resistant, providing farmers with stronger and healthier crops.

The improved quality is expected to reduce crop losses, lower input costs, and increase overall productivity.

The increased supply will allow more farmers to access high-quality planting materials, strengthening food production and supporting the continued modernisation of Guyana’s agricultural sector.