— following successful hosting of Agri-Investment Forum and Expo
TWO weeks after the conclusion of the largest gathering of regional heads, investors, and agriculture stakeholders at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre for the three-day Agri-Investment Forum and Expo, Guyana’s agriculture sector has been receiving significant recognition, with over 20 investors showing an interest in investing here.
Speaking at the sidelines of a meeting with fisherfolk on Wednesday, Subject Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, told reporters that three investors have already been certified to commence work in the country.
“I can tell you off hand over 20 investors are looking at Guyana, but we already have three investors who are certified [and] coming to Guyana to start work, they are now looking at the logistics and other things to come to Guyana,” Mustapha said.
While the minister did not reveal who the three investors are, he however disclosed that investors from Brazil have indicated their interest in Guyana’s recent corn and soya bean production.
“We have a number of investors from Brazil, who want to come to invest in our soya crop. We know for a fact that the President and a number of heads of government visited Region Nine and we met with some of the investors from that State of Roraima and some of them already want to come and invest in Guyana and other Caribbean countries.”
Interest has also been shown in livestock and cash crops production, among other areas.
“They are looking at cattle rearing, dairy production, they are looking at other crops like strawberries. We already have an investor who will come to Guyana to invest in strawberry production,” said Minister Mustapha as he hailed the investment forum a huge success.
“Generally, I think this was a very good conference and I have spoken to some of my counterparts in the Caribbean and they have also indicated to me that there are a number of investors who are interested to go to their country.”
At the 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM (Caribbean Community) held back in march, the decision was made to host the investment forum as a decisive step to achieve the ‘25 by 25’ agriculture target (reducing the region’s US$6 billion food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025).
The premier event which was held from May 19-21 saw over 500 delegates and 100 exhibitors participating and over the three-day period, several regional heads met to foster discussions on their future plans to achieve the said target and to discuss the current grave global situation of the shortages and high prices of imported food fertilisers and other agricultural inputs; and the severe problems affecting transportation and logistics.
Actions plans to address food security, regional transportation, trade barriers and the inclusion of women and youth in the agriculture sector were also discussed at the forum.