Today, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, held an Open Day at Albion, Region Six, providing farmers, residents and other stakeholders with an opportunity to engage directly with him and raise concerns relating to the agriculture sector and other matters affecting their communities.
During the interactive session, farmers and residents came forward to seek assistance with a range of issues, including improved drainage and irrigation, land clearing, livestock rearing and other agricultural support services.
Minister Mustapha noted that several of the issues were addressed directly during the engagement, while matters requiring further attention were referred to the relevant agencies for follow-up and intervention.
He instructed officials to submit a comprehensive status report on all matters raised within seven days, emphasising that even where issues cannot be resolved immediately, tangible steps must be taken towards finding solutions. The Minister stressed that the purpose of these engagements is to ensure that concerns raised by farmers and residents translate into meaningful action, and that future outreaches should not see the same issues repeatedly being brought forward without progress.
Speaking with members of the media following the engagement, Minister Mustapha said the strong turnout and growing interest in agriculture reflect the opportunities being created through the Government’s continued investment in the sector.
He disclosed that a meeting with key stakeholders is scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the possibility of bringing additional lands under cultivation as efforts continue to expand agricultural production. He further noted that approximately 100,000 acres of land have already been prepared for cultivation within the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary (MMA) Scheme.
The Minister expressed optimism that, based on current production trends and the investments being made across the sector, Guyana is well positioned to record a bumper harvest during the first crop of 2027.
Minister Mustapha also provided an update on the development of the food hub, expressing optimism that the facility will be completed by the end of June 2027.
He reiterated the Government’s commitment to ensuring that farmers have access to the necessary support, infrastructure and resources to expand their operations, increase productivity and capitalise on the growing opportunities within Guyana’s agriculture sector.
