Technology driving agricultural expansion in Guyana – Min Mustapha

─Agriculture Month 2026 officially launched

Guyana is expanding the use of technology in agriculture to help farmers increase production, access services and respond to climate change.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha made the remark during the official launch of Agriculture Month 2026, being held under the theme “Innovate, Nourish, Grow. Building a Sustainable Guyana.”

He pointed to the growing use of drones, precision irrigation and digital applications as part of efforts to strengthen food security.

“Our farmers are innovating by embracing science, technology, research, mechanisation, digital agriculture, and climate smart production,” he said.

He further highlighted the ministry’s application portal which allows farmers in remote communities to access services without travelling to Georgetown.

The minister said farmers in Regions One, Nine and Ten could use the platform to maintain regular contact with the ministry, helping to extend support to producers across the country.

“That is the way we are moving agriculture to ensure that we capture everyone, bring everyone into focus so that we can produce together,” he said.

He added that innovation was also helping Guyana build a more reliable supply of safe, affordable and nutritious food while strengthening its contribution to regional food security.

As a result, he attributed the growth to President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s leadership, particularly with renewing the country’s agricultural role within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Regional leaders are working together towards reducing the Caribbean’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.

He also cited Food and Agriculture Organisation figures which, he said, placed Guyana among four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with undernourishment prevalence below 2.5 per cent.

Additionally, women and young people are playing an increasingly significant role in the sector’s expansion.

The agriculture minister said the ministry had exceeded a presidential requirement for women and young people to account for at least 35 per cent of participants in its projects.

Agro-processing was a major area of women’s participation, with women accounting for almost 90 per cent of participants.

He said the sector was producing more than 4,000 products.

The minister also highlighted graduates of the Guyana School of Agriculture and the University of Guyana who were building livelihoods in farming and related businesses.

Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Vikash Ramkisson, said continued innovation is necessary to address the challenges facing producers, particularly climate change.

“If we do not innovate, then we cannot do things to face the challenges that our sector is currently facing,” he said.

He stressed that increasing production must be accompanied by efforts to make nutritious food more affordable.

Meanwhile, the agriculture ministers reaffirmed the government’s commitment to support farmers and the growth of the agriculture sector.

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