Guyana aims to double agricultural exports

By Michael Younge
Guyana is now seeking to double agricultural exports but the country’s multimillion dollar Grow More campaign must be revamped and restructured to meet this objective, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said.
He made this disclosure when questioned about the status of the much touted campaign, which has seemingly faded over the past year.

Minister Ramsammy said that the campaign was “very much alive”, but is being reviewed at certain levels to ensure that there is more accountability and transparency with respect to the monies allocated to, and utilised under the project.
He said this was necessary because the ministry is now working towards increasing the number and quantity of agricultural products and produce it exports monthly.
Describing the campaign as “a good initiative” which still forms an integral part of government’s policy, Dr Ramsammy explained that it will be used to take advantage of the global opportunities which exist now for food producing and agriculturally strong economies like Guyana.
“The Grow More campaign started in the middle of the food and financial crises and was a local response to a global threat and problem… we are now changing this perspective a little and the new campaign will be a localised response to global opportunities,” he argued.
He said that government wanted to ensure that Guyanese and farmers not only work towards ensuring that there is enough food on their tables, but also enough to export.
Dr Ramsammy stated that the campaign could be used to change the fortunes of many Guyanese, as the country could earn more foreign exchange from increased exports.
As a matter of fact, the minister is preparing to launch a comprehensive written and formalised vision for the country’s agriculture sector, and the gains which need to be made by 2020.
Within this vision statement, the Grow More campaign receives prominence because of its importance towards sustainable agricultural development, and the need to boost production performance.
“This vision outlines how we will use agriculture to move Guyana from a low/middle income country to a high/ middle income country by 2020,” Dr Ramsammy said.
He spoke about the need for farmers to improve the quality of their produce, the technology employed and marketing skills in light of the proposed changes to the Grow More campaign and its strategy.
Dr Ramsammy said the Agriculture Ministry has already started to train farmers and is providing them with the technical and agricultural assistance needed to get their produce from farms to markets, and on the tables of consumers in other countries.
More than Gy$ 100 million has already been spent on the campaign to boost local agriculture production.
Dr Ramsammy admitted that it would be hard for him at this time to make any definitive pronouncements in this area, because investments were made under various subheads, projects related to the Grow More campaign, which cannot be traced easily given the ambiguity with which allocations were made.
He said that the 2012 budget would see a different and more transparent approach being taken where monies will be allocated directly to the campaign, and proposed expenditure under various aspects clearly outlined so that there can be stricter monitoring.
By Michael Younge
Guyana is now seeking to double agricultural exports but the country’s multimillion dollar Grow More campaign must be revamped and restructured to meet this objective, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said.He made this disclosure when questioned about the status of the much touted campaign, which has seemingly faded over the past year.Minister Ramsammy said that the campaign was “very much alive”, but is being reviewed at certain levels to ensure that there is more accountability and transparency with respect to the monies allocated to, and utilised under the project.He said this was necessary because the ministry is now working towards increasing the number and quantity of agricultural products and produce it exports monthly.Describing the campaign as “a good initiative” which still forms an integral part of government’s policy, Dr Ramsammy explained that it will be used to take advantage of the global opportunities which exist now for food producing and agriculturally strong economies like Guyana.“The Grow More campaign started in the middle of the food and financial crises and was a local response to a global threat and problem… we are now changing this perspective a little and the new campaign will be a localised response to global opportunities,” he argued.He said that government wanted to ensure that Guyanese and farmers not only work towards ensuring that there is enough food on their tables, but also enough to export.Dr Ramsammy stated that the campaign could be used to change the fortunes of many Guyanese, as the country could earn more foreign exchange from increased exports.As a matter of fact, the minister is preparing to launch a comprehensive written and formalised vision for the country’s agriculture sector, and the gains which need to be made by 2020.Within this vision statement, the Grow More campaign receives prominence because of its importance towards sustainable agricultural development, and the need to boost production performance.“This vision outlines how we will use agriculture to move Guyana from a low/middle income country to a high/ middle income country by 2020,” Dr Ramsammy said.He spoke about the need for farmers to improve the quality of their produce, the technology employed and marketing skills in light of the proposed changes to the Grow More campaign and its strategy.Dr Ramsammy said the Agriculture Ministry has already started to train farmers and is providing them with the technical and agricultural assistance needed to get their produce from farms to markets, and on the tables of consumers in other countries.More than Gy$ 100 million has already been spent on the campaign to boost local agriculture production.Dr Ramsammy admitted that it would be hard for him at this time to make any definitive pronouncements in this area, because investments were made under various subheads, projects related to the Grow More campaign, which cannot be traced easily given the ambiguity with which allocations were made.He said that the 2012 budget would see a different and more transparent approach being taken where monies will be allocated directly to the campaign, and proposed expenditure under various aspects clearly outlined so that there can be stricter monitoring.