Tiger Bay women begin harvest at community shade house

Women from the community of Tiger Bay, Georgetown, have harvested their first 35 pounds of celery just six weeks after planting through the new shade house initiative designed to help them earn.

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, highlighted the early success of the project on Wednesday during a visit to the shade house demonstration at the One Guyana Kitchen.

The first batch of celery will be sold to Massy Group at $1,300 per pound, marking the start of what is expected to be a steady income stream for the women involved.

Manickchand explained that the shade house model allows crops to grow quickly with relatively little effort. An average of 45 pounds of celery is expected to be harvested weekly over the next 32 weeks.

By the end of the cycle, total production is projected to reach approximately 1,475 pounds, generating an estimated $1.9 million in revenue.

She said the initiative will  participants become self-sufficient while creating income opportunities, particularly for vulnerable groups.

“The whole idea is to make those involved self-sufficient and income earners, with particular focus on the vulnerable communities which are women and young people,” Manickchand said.

She noted that the project demonstrates how providing opportunities can empower women to support themselves and their families.

“We know sometimes all women need is a hand, a foot up, and then you will take it from here, and that’s exactly what President Irfaan Ali has done here, right opposite his own home to make sure that it is a model that can work for you,” she added.

Manickchand said the government is already looking to expand the project across Georgetown, with efforts underway to identify additional spaces to construct more shade houses so that more citizens can benefit.

“The model here is to make women self-sufficient and particularly the women of this community, but this is also going to expand across the country to other communities,” she said.

The initiative is spearheaded by President Ali and is designed to empower women from Tiger Bay through hands-on training in shade house framing while creating real income-earning opportunities in agriculture.