The Hauraruni project should be used as a model in other communities

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,

I have been avidly following your editorial column, and would like to express my views in support of the ones you mentioned concerning the need for agriculture diversification in order to lift communities out of poverty, and to ensure that Guyana is food secure.

I have noted, with interest, the recent visit by Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai and USAID Mission Director Carol Horning to one of those projects operating under the Guyana Trade and Investment Support Programme (GTIS) and supported by USAID, and I was encouraged by the fact that the authorities understand the need to diversify.

Your newspaper reported Minister Sukhai as acknowledging the success of the project as a model that ensures both food security and agricultural expansion in a sustainable manner.

Editor, I am positive that this project will yield immediate benefits to the people of Hauraruni, Soesdyke, and other communities. No doubt, similar projects will come on stream. However, the authorities will need to look for new markets for export, as this is the only way that this activity could be sustained.

You would agree with me that the issue of providing income-generating activities within Amerindian communities has long been a challenge. This model of agriculture is needed, and can be promoted in many communities, as it promotes the idea of creating village economies. Not only would jobs be created, but a new sense of ownership and pride would now be evident in the various communities.

Agricultural diversification is the way to go. And since Guyana has ideal conditions for agriculture, the country can supply the Caribbean with its agricultural exports. It is hoped that the project will have a ripple effect, so that other villages would want to replicate its success.

Yours sincerely,

Jamal Khan

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