$602.8M pumped into non-traditional crops cultivation by NAREI

An estimated $602.8 M was pumped in by the National Agricultural Research and Extension
Institute (NAREI)at the end of June this year, to further diversify Guyana’s production base and
ensure food security.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, expressed optimism that his ministry will continue to
accelerate efforts to meet the dietary demands of all Guyanese. gs during a recent outreach.
Mustapha said following his appointment as minister, it was discovered that most of the
programmes to rural and hinterland communities were halted by the previous government. “This
significantly affected agricultural development in this country. Since taking office in 2020, we
have not only re-started these programmes, but we have also revamped them and introduced new
ones to ensure that everyone benefits,” he said.
He disclosed that NAREI has provided technical assistance and knowledge sharing to hundreds
of farmers countrywide. He said that the 2021 mid-year report shows that designs were given to
farmers for the construction of 97 shade houses in all regions. Shade houses were constructed for
demonstration purpose at Hosororo, (Region One), Paramakatoi, (Region Eight) and three at
Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.
The minister said that with the continued push for fruit cultivation, the agency made available
hundreds of low-cost seedlings at all NAREI nurseries with 54,915 plants sold for some $13.7
million. It was pointed out during the review period that technical support was provided to
16,284 farmers. It stated that over 1,357 farmers from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and
10 benefitted from training sessions in pest and disease management, climate smart agriculture,
good agriculture practices and crop husbandry systems, among others.
It went on to highlight that of the targeted 1,000 acres of new coconut cultivation for the year,
766 acres were cultivated, bringing the national coconut acreage to 29,802 acres. The agriculture
minister stressed that government has given prominence to the coconut industry by allocating
$70 M to the Hope Coconut Industry Limited to promote expansion, inter-cropping, utilisation of
coconut by-products, and increase production and productivity.
The report stated that the construction of the coconut nurseries in Wakenaam, Leguan, Canal
No. 2, Polder and No. 63 Village Corentyne are expected to be completed in the second half of
this year. It further stated that “trials for intercropping in the coconut industry commenced on
the coastal soil with bora and hot peppers and on the sandy soil with peanuts and red beans, with
a view to expanding intercropping cultivation in the coconut fields.”
As such, about 0.7 tonnes of fresh ginger roots were processed and dried at Hosororo and was
sent to manufacturers to assess the quality. In March, 655 cuttings of black pepper were
distributed to the farmers of Regions One and 10 for cultivation. However, thus far there are 575

black pepper cuttings at Mon Repos and 3,654 at Hosororo. There are 45 nutmeg trees in
Hosororo between five farmers, with an expected yield of 1,000 nutmeg per tree per crop. In the
second half of 2021, about 222 nutmeg seedlings will be planted at the Hosororo demonstration
field. The minister added that as time progresses there will be a drastic change in the provision
of extension support services.