Local cultivation of wheat as world market prices soar is being explored by Govt

President Irfaan Ali in seeking to address wheat prices which peak at record high globally, said
that his government is exploring the possibility of sourcing a variety of wheat for local
production.
Ali said that the surge in wheat and other commodity prices is a result of the ongoing war
between Russia and Ukraine. Both states account for about 30 percent of the world’s traded
wheat. “Soon we are going to work to see whether we can find a variety of wheat that we can
plant in Guyana, so that we can fulfill even our local requirement. We are learning important
lessons now that we must not leave unanswered for future generations,” Ali said.
The President while speaking at the commissioning of a new well at Lusignan, East Coast
Demerara on Tuesday, noted that both the Covid-19 pandemic and the war have led to supply
chain disruption, which has major economic implications. He stressed that the pandemic in some
instances has increased the cost of goods and services between 20 to 145 percent, while the cost
of shipping and logistics has caused increases by as much as 200 percent.
Ali disclosed that the war in Ukraine then arose, taking out close to 40 percent of global wheat
production. The price per barrel of oil also surged.  And if that was not enough, China with just
an emergence of a few Covid cases, has gone into another lock down. The Head of State said that
notwithstanding these challenges, his government is unwavering in its quest to build a Guyana
that is resilient, and a country that meets not only its national responsibility, but plays an
important role in its global responsibility.
“We have started to present leadership on our next big crisis, food security…The world has
thought us that we can no longer be dependent, we have to be as self-sufficient and self-
sustainable as possible, especially when it comes to the supply of food and basic
commodities,’ Ali explained. The President explained that citizens must understand the
complexities of the environment under which the government is operating, acknowledging the
fact that despite the many challenges, the administration has managed to maintain a country
which boasts the best debt-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio.
President Ali stressed that his government has also been able to keep all its public servants
employed, expand employment opportunities, provide increases in salaries and pension, and
incentives to more students.