Corn, soya production in Region Nine moving apace – Min. Benn

Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, on Friday, paid a visit to the Iring Integrated Farm Inc. and Santa Fe Farm, located in the South Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Iring Integrated Farm Inc., which stretches some 24,000 acres, and Santa Fe, which measures some 10,000 acres, have completed over 10,000 acres of land preparation, procured fertilisers, seeds, and agro-equipment, and constructed irrigation canals.

The level of production and the expected yields have the potential to position Guyana as a net exporter of raw materials for animal feed production or finished feed products to the region. This will also reduce the cost of production of animal products.

During the tour, Minister Benn expressed that he was pleased with the progress of production as it strategically aligns with the government’s efforts to drive investment in producing soya and corn for animal feed.

The minister was accompanied by Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institution, Jagnarine Singh, Head of the Community Policing Group, Rishi Das, members of the Community Policing Group, and a team from the Home Affairs ministry.

The large-scale production of these crops will propel CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 vision, which aims to lower the regional food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

In 2021, government announced the implementation of large-scale planting of corn and soya bean, and this saw investments in building out the infrastructure and facilities to significantly boost the farmers’ yields and propel the country’s economy.

In keeping with its manifesto promise, the PPP/C government committed to promoting the cultivation of corn and soya bean in the intermediate savannahs. To this end, the 2023 budget allocated over $1.2 billion to infrastructural development in the Tacama area, here soya is being widely grown.

Further, the government invested in a drying and storage facility, the first of its kind in the country, for which construction works will be completed soon.

These investments continue in irrigation and building human capacity in supporting the country’s agriculture, with the aim of promoting self-sufficiency in Guyana.