Govt still seeking markets for non-traditional crops, rice – President

President Donald RamotarGeorgetown: Guyana’s agricultural sector has being performing creditably and with the record production of rice and other crops, markets are actively being sought, President Donald Ramotar said recently.

He said that following the recent successful rice deal negotiated with Panama, efforts are being made to penetrate other markets, “so that we can stimulate production in this area”. He added that as far as has been indicated to him, there is optimism that other markets will be found to deal with the increased production, at this point in time.

Non-traditional crops are one area in which the agricultural sector is seeing gains and markets for these are also being looked at, he said. The opening of a new Tissue Culture Laboratory, scheduled for September 1, will greatly assist farmers by giving them access to disease free planting material, President Ramotar explained.

This follows the recent opening of the state-of -the -art Guyana Livestock Development Authority’s, Veterinary Services Laboratory at Mon Repos. The president has been calling for the use of more science and technology within the farming sector and the need to change the old perceptions of farming as a job for the unskilled persons.