Guyana will present several proposals for investments in various areas of the agriculture sector at the upcoming Regional Agri-Business Investment Forum to be held here on June 6 and 7, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud said the proposals target a wide range of investment opportunities in areas such as vegetables, fruits, processing, energy and sugar, particularly the establishment of a refinery.

“We will use the opportunity to showcase our possibilities and where the investment opportunities exist. So we do hope at the end of the event we will see significance both in terms of local and foreign investment within the agricultural sector so we can capitalise on the opportunities arising out of the current food price increase,” the minister is quoted by GINA as saying.

The forum is being held under the theme ‘Investing in our future: Agri-Business is good business’ and aims to stimulate enhanced business opportunities for the Caribbean through the convergence of potential investors and financial institutions.
Persaud noted that it is coincidental that the conference, which will be held within the framework of the Jagdeo Initiative, is taking place at a time when the environment is ripe for investments in agriculture.

President Jagdeo at the unveiling of a banner to herald  the Investment Forum last month at the CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, had said that the event will create awareness among political leaders and private sector institutions and is not summoned because of the recent surge in food prices.

According to GINA, he said too that the objectives are two-fold -  one is regional food security to replace food imports as much as possible and this represents a good opportunity, and secondly to transform agriculture into a competitive export industry.