…says Minister Ramsammy
THE Ministry of Agriculture has developed a short-term, medium-term and long-term 2013-2030 infrastructural portfolio to drive the sector to new heights.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, explained last Thursday that 2013 saw the completion of the first long-term agriculture infrastructure portfolio for Guyana. This portfolio of investments 2013-2030 is at present projected to cost about $200B with the following portfolios of agricultural infrastructure investments prepared:
* Portfolio of Drainage and Irrigation Infrastructure Investment 2013-2030
* Portfolio of Roads and Dams 2013-2030
* Portfolio of Support Infrastructure for Agriculture Investments 2013-2030
Minister Ramsammy highlighted to the National Assembly during his presentation at the 2014 budget debate, some of the projects in the Portfolio of Infrastructure Investment 2013-2030, some of which are featured in the 2014 Budget.
The Agriculture Minister boasted that the first phase of the Conservancy Adaptation Programme (CAP) has been completed. In the second phase, he proposed the construction of pumping stations at Hope/Enmore, Enterprise/Paradise, Annandale/Buxton, Lusignan, Mon Repos, Ogle and Liliendaal, and continued infrastructure works towards the structural integrity of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) embankment. A World Bank grant of US$11M will facilitate the strengthening of the EDWC.
CUNHA CANAL
The Cunha Canal Reconstruction, he said, will also directly benefit approximately 4,500 acres of farmlands at Sarah Johanna, Pearl, Badrima and Coverden and the lower reaches of Kuru Kururu. This project, he added, is expected to be funded through the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) arrangement.
The 2014 estimates also cater for pump stations at Gangaram and Pine Ground which will be the first pump stations in those areas. The Pine Ground Pump Station will be the first formal dual drainage and irrigation pump station in Guyana.
Ramsammy went on to notify the House that the Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary (MMA) Stage 11 work entails mainly the establishment of a conservancy between the Abary River and Mahaica River through the damming of the Mahaicony River. The first phase of the stage two MMA project will be supported through the EU at a cost of about $30M Euros and should span the next five years. “This project will open up an additional 200,000 acres of land in the Mahaicony and Mahaica blocks,” Ramsammy added.
Additionally, he noted that the Caribbean Development Fund will be investing in four roads (three all-weather and one fair-weather road) in 2014. The all-weather asphalt roads include Parika (6.2km) at a cost of US$2M; Rudy (6.7km) estimated at US$2.3M; Onverwagt (3.7km) at US$1.3M; and the fair-weather access road, Laluni (15km) estimated at US$1M.
Ramsammy assured that there will be no more debates about the indispensability of an agro-process industry in Guyana as the Agriculture Ministry will seek to make developmental steps in 2014 which includes:
* Expanding the Guyana Shop to promote locally manufactured agriculture products;
* Establishing an Incubator Facility at the GSA to assist new and emerging agro-processors;
* Hiring a Food Scientist to support Agro-Processors; and
* Hiring a SPS Specialist to assist in obtaining local, regional and international certification.
Ramsammy said that the investment in the livestock industry will continue with the formalization of a dairy industry. “Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) will establish a dairy (herd) farm at Mon Repos (by the end of 2014) with imported nucleus milk breed,” he said. In addition, he noted that talks have begun with the Canadians to establish a public-private partnership for a milk processing plant. However, this is all with the aim of increasing milk production and reducing milk imports. Milk production in 2013 was 46M Liters while milk imports in the same year rocketed at G$7.1B.
Allocations have been made in the 2014 budget for various industries in the Agricultural Sector which is aimed at advancing and developing the sector.
(By Ravin Singh)