Dear Editor,
Trinidad’s Prime Minister Mr Patrick Manning said that his government is not waiting for others to lead the way and will be investing heavily in making Guyana the food basket of the region.
Agriculture is not an abstract theory or philosophy. It is about people and the real world in which they live. Its concern is about the human condition: how people live and work; what they produce and how they produce; how their product is distributed; what is their relationship one to another and to the means of production. It concerns itself with these things because its aim is to promote and enhance the dignity and welfare of the masses of the people by creating conditions in which they can enjoy a useful, happy and productive life.
To this end, it seeks to ensure that all citizens can enjoy as a right the basic necessities for modern, civilised existence; namely, food, about the creation of wealth under humane conditions and the just and equitable distribution of that wealth. Consequently, agricultural investment is a good investment in CARICOM. Investment in Guyana’s agriculture sector is central to the achievement of the primary objective of Caricom’s agricultural policy.
Here in Guyana we have a great amount of man-made wealth in the form of sea and river defences, drainage and irrigation systems, plants and factories. However we need to know what skills the people in our region have and whether those skills are being fully utilised; who is in need of training or further training. When we are fully seized of the facts, when we have identified and assessed the economic potential of our country, when we have given thought to ways and means of making the fullest use of our agriculture potential, then we would have geared ourselves for the task of liberating and developing the productive forces.
A country which depends for its food supply on external sources is in a vulnerable position. It is incapable of guaranteeing its citizens adequate or regular food supplies.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
For Guyana to become the bread basket for anywhere other than Bourda market, it needs to look beyond Agriculture. It seems that Guyana is making this Agri food drive, rocket science and it is not.
Here are Guyana’s main food exports, Rice and Sugar that’s it. The reason for this is because both products can be bulk shipped abroad and could remain in transit for weeks without spoilage. All the other food products have a limited shelf life and subject to intransit damage.
Visit any market place in Guyana and you will see all the food produce that Guyana can produce, on sale. Therefore some farmer knows how to grow these foods and are growing these foods. These are all however perishable foods.
The real problem is planning, processing and marketing. Lets look at the US model to get some idea of what we are faced with. From the time a crop is picked from the field, processing and grading begins. Those crops that are not up to standard are sent to be juiced, pickled, dried or crushed as animal feed. The ones to be sent to market are waxed and packed in refridgerated 18 wheelers that crisscross the USA highways 24*7 365 days a year.
Ok so lets apply this to Guyana, we have a large shipment of avacado pears, where is our shipping crates?
who makes the parrafin wax?
Where is our market located?
Can we drive our produce there?
Do we use sea or air?
What is the cost of transportation?
If all of the above questions cannot be answered, then we have no alternative but to pack our pears in straw baskets, cover them with dry banana leaves and off we go to Bourda market. How hard is that, no agricultural skill, no training needed just plain common sense reasoning. The requirement here is INFRASTRUCTURE not Agriculture. Guyanese know how to grow crops.
Lets now look at growing crops for biofuel. From the vibes I have been getting it seems that Guyana is anxious to follow the USA model again.
Here’s the problem with that, the Biofuel companies are financed by the oil companies, this is their way of saying “Hey we are not the the rich fat cats you make us out to be, no one is thinking more green that we are”
Also the government is subsidizing and giving huge tax breaks to these ventures. Also food is used as a tradeable commodity on Wall Street, ever heard of pork bellies, so sometimes farmers are paid not to farm so as to keep supplies in line with demand. Some wealthy people have over 50,000 acres of “farmland” with a dozen horses grazing on it. Big tax write off.
To produce one million BTU’s (British Thermal Units) of fuel, will take 0.74million BTU’s of fossil energy.
Only 10% of biofuel can be added to a conventional gas engine. You will need a flex fuel conversion kit for your car to use a larger percentage.
If Guyana still feel the need to go that route they should follow the Brazil model with the use of sugar cane and not corn. Guyanese farmers know how to grow sugar cane. Corn is a crop that places a heavy demand on soil for repeated cultivation.
Any challenge can be overcome,so go for it, just bear in mind that the government bails the farmer out in the USA. Not the small farmer, the big ones. If your venture fails, what is your exit strategy?
Joe.