Young people leaving agriculture for gold mining – Baksh

Minister within the Agriculture Ministry Alli Baksh said young people are gravitating to gold mining as they are not too interested in farm labour.

According to Baksh, this is a major problem facing the agricultural sector today, noting that if it is not addressed, it will negatively impact the sector in the not so distant future.

The Minister was at the time speaking at the Guyana Agricultural Producer’s Association (GAPA) Regional Conference, attended by scores of farmers on Friday, at the Anna Regina Town Council.

The conference was held under the theme “Towards participatory agricultural programme development”.

He said farmers are the backbone of the economy and they can look to the Government as a viable partner in development.

Baksh said though there are vast areas of agricultural lands available, there are a shortage of skilled persons, pointing out that the shift to gold mining is a setback to agriculture.

He said the impact of the shortage is already being felt as there is a demand for some produce but the supply is not there.

Baksh said GAPA has an important role to play in addressing this problem and to revive young people’s interest in agriculture.

He encouraged persons to form themselves into groups and tap into the assistance being provided by GAPA.

GAPA Regional Coordinator Laxmi Jaikeshan said the non-governmental organisation will be partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to source small grants for several projects.

She said assistance will be given to help farmers construct shade houses in Regions Two, Three, Five and Six.

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament Cornel Damon called on farmers to expand their production by making maximum use of the lands available to them.

He also proposed that farmers pool their resources and acquire a processing facility to preserve their perishable crops and fruits.

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud welcomed the farmers to the conference, saying that their work cannot be underestimated as they feed the nation.

He said Region Two farmers have been on top of their game, exporting natural juices to various Caribbean territories, and soon farmers will be tapping into the Trinidad market, supplying coconut water.