$70M investment in coconut industry to increase earnings – Minister Mustapha

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha has said the proposed $70 million allocation for the coconut sub-sector this year would augment resources to expand and promote the industry, guaranteeing better earnings.

The sum would also significantly boost inter-cropping, the utilisation of coconut by-products, and increased production and efficiency, the Minister relayed.

He was at the time defending his sector’s allocation in the Government’s $383.1 billion Budget on Wednesday, during the 12th sitting of the National Assembly at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Minister Mustapha’s statement followed that of Member of Parliament, Hon. Khemraj Ramjattan who spoke of many investments made at the Hope Coconut Industry Limited (HCIL) during the Coalition’s tenure in Government. He said the Coalition had built several bridges and some 50,000 seedlings were produced annually.

Minister Mustapha swiftly debunked those claims as “untrue,” saying there was little to no evidence of this when PPP/C Government took office in August. In fact, after just a few days in office, he had an assessment of the estate done to determine its needs.

“The Honourable Member spoke about many bridges. I am challenging the Honourable Member to take me there and point out those bridges. When I took over the Ministry of Agriculture there was one half-way-built bridge.  I had to go and do remedial work to get the bridge done properly. The agriculture sector is no longer suffering from poor management,” he said.

On other occasions, Minister Mustapha engaged farmers who complained about improper drainage and irrigation within the estate. During the outreach, he had committed to dispatching an excavator to the area to provide relief for the farmers.

In 2020, the PPP/C Government also injected some $60 million into the HCIL to continue revitalising and expanding farming in Guyana. Additionally, a $1.1 million coconut nursery was established in Kairuni, Soesdyke-Linden Highway and another in Charity, Essequibo Coast.  Coconut acreage was increased by 500 acres in Laluni and Pomeroon in 2020, with an expected 1,000 acres in the near future.

Minister Mustapha said the Government is eager to see the coconut industry flourish.  This year, four new nurseries would be built at Wakenaam, Leguan, Canal No. 2 and No. 63 Village, Corentyne. This venture will make possible an additional 48,000 seedlings per annum or an overall 172,000 seedlings of national production yearly.

Meanwhile, coconut intercropping systems, which included shade house cultivation, were established at Dalgin, Victoria, Buxton, and Mahaica. This year, a similar project would be established at Soesdyke with red peas and peanuts, and on the East Coast Demerara with hot peppers and bora.

Minister Mustapha said the APNU+AFC “failed our farmers when it came to extension services, farmers were not accessing the service.”

The HCIL produces 100,000 coconut seedlings annually for farms countrywide to advance the development of the coconut industry.