Black Immigrant Daily News

Guyana’s first Rice Gene Bank was on Monday commissioned at the Burma Rice Research Station, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) while two new labs are being set up at the facility.

The National Rice Gene Bank has the capacity to store 1500 varieties of seed paddy for research. Currently, there are 400 different varieties of paddy in the bank and can be kept for more than ten years if they have the correct temperature.

The Government invested $25 million in the establishment of the bank. In addition, another $25 million is invested in a value-added lab at the same facility with a further $50 million budgeted for additional equipment. The lab will allow for research into value-added products from rice.

On Monday persons were shown bread that has been produced using 20 per cent rice flower along with other traditional wheat flour products which were made from rice flour.Apart from that lab, a soil tissue analyst lab which is valued at $85 million was also opened at the research facility. Already, some $63 million has been pumped into the establishment of that lab.

Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Agriculture Ministry, Delma Nedd in delivering a message from Minister Zulfikar Mustapha to inaugurate the new state-of-the-art value-added rice laboratory and soil and tissue analysis laboratory noted that the construction of these new facilities is part of the Government’s commitment to producing high-quality rice and rice by-products.

This she said, will see the rice industry flourish and our rice farmers prosperous.

“Not only does value addition increase rice earnings at the national and household levels, it allows for nutritional fortification, import substitution, and employment generation. To enhance the potential of the rice industry, this Government is working to diversify rice production by using innovative measures to add value to locally produced commodities.

Some of the rice-based food products that Guyana can begin to produce using this new value-added rice industry are rice flour, rice starch, ready-to-eat convenience foods, fermented beverages and noodles.”

Speaking of the soil and tissue analyst laboratory, the PS said it would enable the GRDB to conduct accurate soil testing and improve crop fertility to increase crop yield.

“The Government is also investing in the construction of a bio-controlled lab on-site at the Rice Research Station primarily to study paddy bug with bio-controlled methods and other control methods in a controlled environment. The paddy bug is a real challenge to the rice industry that caused millions in losses and so with lab, studies will be conducted using bio-controlled methods in an effort to solve the problem.”

The Ministry, she pointed out, also plans to improve productivity in the rice industry on a more technical level using germplasm technology.

“For that very purpose, the Government is working on constructing a Germplasm/Rice Gene Bank facility, soon to be commissioned, for the Guyana Rice Development Board which will see to studying, managing and using genetic resources for plant breeding, preservation and other research purposes.”

She noted that the facility is the first of its kind in Guyana and aims at introducing a bio-fortified rice variety in 2023, a high-yielding variety in 2024, and an aromatic variety in 2025.

“We aim to have rice varieties that are more resilient, nutritional, and tastier,” she said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Dear Editor,

World Food Day was celebrated on October 16, 2022, in more than 150 countries worldwide to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and this year there is a resounding plea to all to “Leave No One Behind” through “Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life”. This Government and the Ministry of Agriculture have proactively implemented this thrust for improved food and nutrition security both locally and regionally since it took Office in August 2020.

This Government has worked diligently and endured a sleepless night to resolve the plethora of debilitating issues which have threatened to annihilate the agriculture sector.

What would have happened to this sector if the coalition had managed to successfully rig the 2020 Elections and remained in power? The answer is obvious. The coalition had been mercilessly slashing the agriculture budget since they took office and displayed complete disdain to this sector which they perceived at the PPP support base. Apart from the insane and malicious budget cuts they taxed the sector with increased land rent and VAT on machinery and related supplies. With the windfall from oil, the short-sighted coalition saw no need for agriculture.

Agriculture crops are always invariably affected by adverse weather conditions and the recent floods, four in all in 2021 and 2022, have devastated and almost wiped-out crops such as sugar but timely intervention by the Minister of Agriculture and his Government and deployment of much-needed resources have rescued the sector. The Minister of Agriculture and all the other Ministers, including the President and the Vice President visited all the affected areas and provided on-the-spot reliefs. Never has this massive scale of Government intervention ever taken place in Guyana. The Government spent billions of dollars on drainage and infrastructure, roads, cash grants and relief, subsidies and free distribution of seeds, plants, chemicals and fertilisers.

Today, the sector has fully recovered with production in traditional and non-traditional crops increasing rapidly and sugar production increasing at an enormous rate. It must be mentioned that the entire world was engulfed in the COVID-19 pandemic for the past 3 years but this Government has overcome this as well. Moreover, the Minister is convinced that the sugar industry will achieve 100,000 tons in the next 3 years. Thanks to this Government’s tenacity and persistence.

Today, also our regional leaders have full confidence in the ability of our agriculture sector to drive the food security of the Region. Minister Mustapha stated in his address on World Food Day that Guyana is well positioned to become the bread basket of the Caribbean.

In order to make this a reality, this Government has implemented both short and long-term policies and made increased budgetary allocations to ensure not only the survival but the continued progress of the sector. The Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha emphasised the fact at Albion when he stated that the Government has worked above and beyond to strategically place Guyana on the road that leads to the realisation of ‘Vision 25’ which is aimed at reducing the Region’s food import bill by 2025. The Minister never looked at things in isolation, he stressed that in fulfilling this Vision there will be sustainable employment opportunities for youths, women and other vulnerable groups and he even went further when he said that it is not only about increasing food production but making food accessible and affordable and to improve the nutrition of all Guyanese, leaving no one behind. This encapsulates the very theme of World Food Day and quite remarkably the very objectives which the Government has been vigorously pursuing for the past 2 years and even before the advent of the coalition.

The FAO Director General in his World Food Day message spoke about the “need to empower the most vulnerable, including small scale producers and improve access to training, incentives, science, data, technology and innovation so that small scale holders can be at the centre of this transformation”. This is exactly what Minister Mustapha has been emphasising since 2020. He realised that small-scale farmers have a major role to play in the transformation of the agriculture sector and he must be applauded for his keen perception and wisdom of what is required.

Yours sincerely,Haseef Yusuf

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The new members of the Board of Directors for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) met with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha following Cabinet’s no objection to their appointment.

During a brief meeting, Minister Mustapha told the new Board Members that the revitalisation and modernisation of Guyana’s sugar industry remain of utmost importance to the Government and the people of Guyana.

While reminding them of the difficulties faced when several estates were closed by the APNU/AFC administration, Minister Mustapha said that the government remains steadfast in its efforts to restore the sector and that it was the responsibility of the Board to implement the policies of the government as it relates to the development of the industry.

Minister Mustapha also said that it was important for a direct line of communication between the Board of Directors and the Estates’ management to be established. This, he added, was vital to the effective functioning and operation of the various estates.

He also encouraged the members to work as a collective and maintain effective cooperation and professionalism as the ultimate goal of the Board was to ensure the industry regains viability.

The new members of the GuySuCo Board of Directors are Mr. Madanlall Ramraj, Mr. Jairam Petam, Mr. Mohamed Raffik, Mr. Roy Hanoman Singh, Ms. Shaleeza Shaw, Mr. Tarachand Balgobin, Ms. Shameera Evans, Mr. Desmond Sears, Mr. Vishnu Panday, Mr. Paul Cheong, Mr. Ramnarayan Rupan, and Mr. Aslim Singh.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre says the historic appointment of Mrs. Crusita Descartes-Pelius as Acting Police Commissioner will transition the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) to a new Police Chief.

Descartes-Pelius is due to retire within a year.

Prime Minister Pierre described her Acting Police Commissioner appointment as a historic time for women in Saint Lucia as Milton Desir proceeded on vacation leave on Friday.

Desir’s contract as Police Commissioner officially ends on December 9.

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“It is important that we have this transition because we wanted no one to have an unreasonable expectation of becoming Commissioner of Police,” the PM told reporters on Monday.

He spoke on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting where he disclosed that the post of Police Commissioner would be advertised.

Pierre, responsible for National Security, acknowledged that appointing Descartes-Pelius  came at a difficult time in the region concerning crime.

But Pierre expressed confidence in the new Acting Commissioner’s leadership and hoped the men and women of the RSLPF would cooperate.

“From her experience and knowledge and her ability to work with people as is clear, I think Mrs. Pelius will continue to mobilise the members of the police force so they can do their duties in an effective way,” the Prime Minister told reporters.

In addition, the Castries East MP explained that appointing Descartes-Pelius was a testimony to the faith and belief in the women of Saint Lucia.

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