Agri. Minister meets with investment team from Kazakhstan

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Minister Zulfikar Mustapha today met with a team of Kazakh investors from the Tree Energy company to discuss possible collaborations in the agriculture sector.

Tree Energy is a manufacturer of solar-wind systems and hydro-electric power plants, that is focused on new technological developments in ‘green energy. They are also known for designing and manufacturing cold storage facilities powered by solar and hydro-electricity.

During the meeting, Minister Mustapha told the delegation the Government is working to transform the production and food supply chain. He added that the Government is working with farmers to extend the shelf life of fresh produce, reduce wastage and increase agro-processing through value-added mechanisms.  

“We have an agency, the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, that will be procuring additional freezing trucks and cold storage facilities this year. This is to assist farmers with reducing spoilage of fresh produce. We are also working to help our farmers transport and keep their produce in a better way. The New GMC is also responsible for guiding our agro-processors on how they can transform any surplus produce into value-added commodities. As it relates to your company and the services you offer, there are also a number of remote areas in the country that are earmarked for massive agricultural development and we’ll have to look into facilities to store, process and package these commodities within these Regions,” Minister Mustapha said.

The Minister advised the team to craft a proposal with details on developing such a facility and have it submitted to his Ministry for consideration.

Afa Zada, who formed part of the delegation, explained that with Guyana is once again being seen as the breadbasket of the Caribbean, the company was eager to meet with the Minister to discuss avenues to partner with Government to promote agricultural development in an energy efficient manner.

The team is scheduled to meet with officials from the New GMC  next week to further discuss the possibility of collaborating on large-scale, smart agriculture initiatives.