Investors from Israel, Ghana, Cameroon anxious for Agri-Investment Forum, Expo

The first ever Agri-Investment Forum and Expo, set to open at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on May 19 are expected to see international investors from Israel, Ghana and Cameroon, as they are ready to travel to Guyana.

It was noted that the three-day inaugural event will also see the participation of several global entities from the United States of America, Canada and the Caribbean, along with scores of local investors. Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha moments after engaging members of the planning committee, announced Monday that the preparatory works for the event are moving apace.

“I am very satisfied with the progress; we are moving very effectively. Almost all the booths are in place, to date we have close to about 300 organisations and investors who have already registered and most are from overseas,” he said following his inspection of the venue. “Now we are seeing a number of Guyanese being registered, so I am hoping by the end of registration, just a few days before the event, we have a lot of investors and persons who will be participating,” Mustapha stressed.

The minister noted that about seven regional heads, along with a number of their government ministers have confirmed their presence at the hyped event. Minister Mustapha revealed that the forum is the first of its kind in CARICOM, noting that the responses received to date, show how important the event is to the region.

The agriculture minister explained that the aim of the conference is to have a number of new entities investing in priority crops, and other commodities offered across CARICOM. Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Paul Cheong pointed out that Guyana boasts enormous potential in the agriculture sector, and hosting such a forum is critical to further development.n“With the large amount of arable land, fresh water, and never-ending sunlight, which are critical ingredients for agriculture, we are confident that this here now will drive the agriculture sector,” Cheong declared.

It was disclosed that the hosting of the investment forum stemmed from discussions at CARICOM’s 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of Heads of Government. However, during the local launch of the event early last month, President, Irfaan Ali said the aim of the region is to build a victorious food system. President Ali revealed that the end result must see healthier food, more cost-effective prices for the population, and greater economic opportunities through job creation.

The Head of State had also announced that the conference will see key stakeholders travelling from as far as the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  “In the UAE we have been able to secure in attendance at this forum, four of the largest buyers and distributors of food and agriculture products. They will be coming here to be part of the expo to look at the opportunities,” Ali said. The conference will facilitate intense consultations between the public and private sectors on investment opportunities, under the theme “investing in vision 25 by 2025”.