A 10-million-dollar initiative to produce ground coffee has been launched at Santa Rosa in the Moruca sub-region of Region One (Barima-Waini).
The project has been launched as one of the green sustainable initiatives to be implemented within the hinterland for this year, and it is intended to boost the region’s economy.
Members of the village are required to select 12 farmers who would each be required to plant an acre of coffee, which would be used to produce Robusta Coffee. Each acre will host six hundred coffee plants.
Addressing those gathered at the launch of the project, Minister within the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, said Santa Rosa coffee must be known for its special blend. She added that demand for the product will grow, and employment opportunities would increase accordingly.
The area chosen, Moruca, used to produce coffee, and Minister Garrido-Lowe revealed that Santa Rosa was chosen because of the presence of knowledgeable persons who can assist in reviving the coffee industry.
This initiative is expected to support sustainable income generation and environmentally friendly projects from which villagers can benefit.
The aim of this project is to make Guyana a coffee-producing nation, and partnerships have been forged with the Social Protection Ministry; the Business Ministry; and the Agriculture Ministry, through the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC).
There also are plans to visit Brazil, the world’s top coffee-producing nation, to acquire firsthand information on the production and quality of the coffee being grown.
The seeds will be set and nurtured with assistance from NAREI. Farmers would be educated on the correct planting methods of the seedlings. The Business Ministry would be responsible for packaging and production. Minister Garrido-Lowe is positive that this brand would be as successful as the Pakaraima Flavours brand.
