210-acre citrus farm for Santa Rosa – Pres. Ali

The community of Santa Rosa, located in the Moruca sub-district, Region One, will soon begin large-scale citrus cultivation.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made the disclosure during a community meeting in Karaburi Village on Thursday. Residents of Haimaruni, Wallaba, Branch Road, Parakeese, Six Miles, and Santa Rosa were also present at this meeting.

“I’ve asked the Minister of Agriculture to help in clearing and preparing those lands. And let us put those 210 acres into large-scale citrus cultivation. We will bring the plants in,” the president told residents.

The ministry will also work with the women of each community to expand honey production, which the government has been strongly advocating for in hinterland communities.

Some 25 hives will be provided to each community, in addition to protective gear.

“Millions of dollars in investment so that you can have 25 hives in every single one of the villages here to produce honey. And we are going to buy the honey off of you,” the president promised.

President Ali explained that the government is moving to foster large-scale cultivation of coconut, breadfruit, ginger, and spices in Region One.

Backed by government funding for initial capital costs, residents can now implement these agricultural projects, opening doors to new, profitable opportunities and propelling the region’s agricultural sector forward.

“We want to also examine high-value crops that can be grown here. And we are going to support you by putting the investment in preparing the land, giving you the seeds, giving you the planting material so that we can grow and build a huge agriculture sector in this region,” the president noted.

Already, the government committed $10 million to commence dredging of the Moruca River, which will also significantly aid transportation.

“In [Waramuri] just now, I said we’ll transfer $10 million to those communities to do the manual clearing for that section. And in the 99-turn section also, for the rest of the year, we’re going to transfer $10 million to the region so you can also clear that section,” the head of state announced.

Additionally, before the end of the week, the National Agricultural Research Institute (NAREI) will return to the region to distribute chemicals to combat the pest issues faced by the residents. 

The president highlighted a string of investments in the region that have transformed the lives of residents, which include more than $7 billion injected through the education sector.

President Ali also pointed out that since the government assumed office, more than 2,500 jobs have been created in the region through the Community Service Officers (CSO) programme, the Pathway Workers programme and similar initiatives.

“If you look at 2024, under education alone, we are constructing three new nursery schools in this region. We’re going to extend three nursery schools. We’re going to extend the Baramita primary school,” he said.

The head of state added, “We’re going to rehabilitate the Port Kaituma Primary. Construction of Matthews Ridge Secondary School. That alone is $370 million. And Waramuri Secondary, $128 million. This is a government that cares about all of Guyana.”

During his visit to the community, the president also commissioned the Karaburi Village Office and Guest House, as well as the Nursery and Primary School Feeding Program Kitchen, which were completed through funds garnered under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).