Georgetown: Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsamm has said the target set in the National Agriculture Strategy 2013-2020 to reduce the importation of corn and soya by 15-25 per cent is not only achievable, but it can also be exceeded.
He said the feasibility work conducted by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), has shown that Guyana can reduce the cost of corn and soya by a minimum of 30 per cent through replacing importation.
Moreover, the test plots in Guyana demonstrate that the yield per acre is equivalent and in some instances, even better than that recorded in the United States and Brazil.
“I would say that at this stage, we have successfully demonstrated that we will be able to do large-scale production… I want to congratulate NAREI on the work done to demonstrate the feasibility on commercial-scale corn and soya production in Guyana,” Minister Ramsammy said.
Cultivation of corn and soya in Guyana is not novel, but these crops were cultivated to meet only kitchen demands. As such, the Ministry has embarked on a programme that will see the cultivation of corn and soya on a scale that would meet the needs of the stockfeed industry.
“We have to lower the cost of production, and one way to do so is to ensure that those inputs that we need for the stockfeed industry, mainly corn and soya, are obtained at a low price which will allow for competitive pricing,” Minister Ramsammy said.
Late last year and earlier this year, cultivation of corn and soya was also done on test plots at Mon Repos. These crops will be harvested shortly.
The Ministry has also extended an invitation to farmers with sizeable plots of land to grow corn and soya and in this regard, it has committed to providing the required technical support.
At present, there is a consortium of Guyanese and Brazilian investors who have indicated their interest in large-scale production of corn and soya for the stockfeed industry and for the production of bio-fuel.
These investors are looking at the intermediate savannahs as a possible location for cultivation.
The Ministry has allowed them to utilise test plots at NAREI’s Ebini facility to conduct their own feasibility studies. That study is proceeding well and has even exceeded the expectations of the experts that are working on the field at Ebini.
The Minister said that, “we expect that the largest scale production of hundreds of acres will begin by the end of this year”.
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