Reduction in prices of fruits, vegetables as a result of Govt’s intervention

As the prices of fruits and vegetables continues to reduce across the country, Guyanese are in a
better position to afford and consume fresh produce.
It was noted that the reduction in costs is due to the many interventions by the government.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha disclosed that the measures are among a number of
strategies the administration has implemented since taking office in August 2022.“The price of
vegetables and fruits are going down and this is as a result of the intervention of the Ministry of
Agriculture in giving people seeds, in facilitating them to do the best practices,” the agriculture
minister said. He was at the time commenting on the sideline of a hamper distribution exercise,
at the Lusignan Community Centre Ground, East Coast Demerara on Wednesday.

It was noted that Mustapha has spearheaded several outreaches where farmers and even
households that have kitchen gardens received a variety of seeds and seedlings, through the
National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). He said that with NAREI
receiving $1.27B to stimulate its production base this year, its seeds and seedlings distribution
will advance, as government forges ahead with plans to secure food for its citizens. “We have
done a lot of canals and drainage works over the last year,” Mustapha declared. He pointed out
that sufficient drainage also played a vital role in ensuring that thousands of acres of farmlands
were secured, especially during the major floods.
The minister added that Guyanese could also expect massive drainage and irrigation upgrades
this year, with a whopping $13 billion set aside to strengthen drainage systems across Guyana. It
was revealed that Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo recently engaged a number of stakeholders,
during a national consultation on strategic flood protection measures, at the Arthur Chung
Conference Centre, Liliendaal.
Dr Jagdeo said a portion of the oil funds will be used to strengthen Guyana’s water system, as
the administration takes an aggressive approach to addressing the decades-long issue. Mustapha
was quoted as telling reporters that extension officers will be more effective in the fields and
provide the necessary guidance to agriculturists. Further, the minister referenced the agriculture
investment forum and expo set to open here on May 19-21, explaining that the initiative creates
the opportunity for CARICOM states to come together to reduce the food import bill by 25
percent by 2025.
“It means Guyana will have to play a big role and our farmers, and production in Guyana will
have to be ramped up and our famers will have the benefits. Guyana has an abundance of fresh
water and a lot of land space. We can use that to produce more of the food that Caricom is using,
so that we can export into the regional market. So, we will have more revenues coming into the
country through the agriculture sector,” Mustapha stressed. The agriculture minister said that he
remains optimistic that the food industry will see a significant boost. He said all of the efforts by
government are channeled towards diversifying the agriculture sector, to specifically withstand
the shocks that have been occurring over the years.