“Plan your future in agripreneurship” – Min. Adams-Yearwood urges GSA students
─ students engaged at Agriculture entrepreneurship seminar
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, June 26, 2019
“Plan your future in agriculture and achieve what life has to offer… think about becoming your own boss whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others by creating employment opportunities.”
This was the charge delivered by Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, with responsibility for Rural Affairs, Valerie Adams-Yearwood to the students of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) during a one-day entrepreneurial seminar. The forum was hosted by non-governmental organisation Move on Guyana Incorporated.
Several agencies engaged the students at the seminar aimed to stimulate innovation while providing them with the necessary information such as procedures for small business start-ups and various agriculture business opportunities.
Minister Adams-Yearwood pointed out the profitability of the agriculture sector and encouraged the students to consider the prospect of self-employment and to become small business owners.
“I urge you to think seriously about agriculture, think about its diversities and the possibilities of becoming something big in what we now call ‘agripreneurship’ [entrepreneurship in agriculture] and being a part of world change.”
She further stressed that with such a push, it is required of youth to have the passion, determination and dedication to achieve such goals.
Mercede Mc Kenzie, a student of the GSA, noted the importance of such a seminar while former a student of the GSA, now at the University of Guyana, Nyron Sookram echoed her sentiments. “This seminar was very informative as it showed us how we youths can go about establishing our own businesses… So, as young people, we need to come up with our own business ideas.”
“One of the things I like was the fact the CEO of GO-Invest mentioned that we should focus more on value-added products as well as consistency and quality. I also like the fact that as youths, we are motivated to be creative,” Sookram stated.
Agencies present at the seminar were Small Business Bureau (SBB), Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC), Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) and Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) which each made presentations on how one can access their services
In addition to demonstrations made by the agencies, students of the GSA also made presentations to agency heads and representatives on business ideas which they have developed. These presentations and ideas are in keeping with President David Granger’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS), eco-friendly agriculture and the exploitation of local goods and produce.
According to Vice Chairperson of Agriculture and Environmental of Move on Guyana Incorporated, Randy Domer, there are plans for the expansion of such activities not only in the field of agriculture but in other sectors such as women’s rights, health, education. Also, seminars of this nature will be planned for youth in regions outside of Georgetown and Region 4.
Images: Marceano Narine