The ‘Grow more food’ scheme is more than a campaign urging persons to grow more food in their yards, but part of a larger initiative aimed at getting the country prepared to invest in long-term food production, President Bharrat Jagdeo said on Saturday evening.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, the President addressing a gathering at the ‘Grow more food’ festival at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, said, “Our children are going to grow up into a world that will see increasing shortages. They will face a bigger challenge than the one we face today and if we’re not careful, in the next 30 years, wars would be fought because of the shortage of food around the world.” Jagdeo said too by 2030 that global demands of food will double because of changing diets and growing populations and at the same time, the world’s food supplies are dwindling.
In this light, the President said Guyana and the Caribbean were attempting to address the situation before it escalated by implementing “an appropriate policy response.” However, he noted that more importantly, Guyanese need to be aware of what is occurring around the world as it relates to global warming. “We have seen a change in the weather pattern, we are more prone to adverse weather conditions and the sea is rising and because of the peculiarities of our country, this poses a significant threat to our way of life.”
The President told the crowd that they needed to be cognisant of the ways climate change could affect their way of life and, apart from ensuring local food security he hoped the country would have surplus food to feed the rest of the world, particularly the Caribbean. “This agriculture drive presents an opportunity for many of our young people.
Many of us today see agriculture as just tilling the land but there are so many opportunities in the agricultural sector from research and development to marketing to actual agriculture, to the supply of inputs into the agricultural sector, it’s a whole value chain and we have to ensure that our children find opportunities in this value chain,” he contended.
The President said he hoped citizens could become involved in the type of agriculture “that allows subsistence farming to co-exist with peasant farming and an active stimulation of large-scale agriculture where the three areas combined would create a sustainable industry in Guyana.”
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, in his address said the ministry aimed to implement the vision of the President and the government to ensure food security and “to make Guyana a leading agriculture food producer and exporter.” He noted that many farmers have indicated their interest in expanding production and the festival was initiated with this in mind.
According to GINA, several public and private agencies took part in Saturday’s festival showcasing craft and local produce.
A farmer’s market featuring Regions Three, Four and Five farmers, many of whom are exporters, formed part of the exhibit.
Haripaul Bhagwandeo a Region five farmer said he produces a variety of cash crops for the local market and export and that he has been able to expand his business because of enhancements made to the drainage system in his area.
Companies that supply farm equipment and materials including Genequip and Farm Supplies, Farfan and Mendes, Ainlim and Geddes Grant also showcased their products as well as several agencies exhibiting the research and development of agricultural produce.
GINA said the festival also featured live performances by several local artistes, a fashion show and dances.
I think that the Government should form a body or get someone to spare head a farming project. This would mean employment while again feeding the nation, it would be an ideal win win situation.
Grow more food…. that’s a page from LFSB’s manifest.
Hmmm… I wonder what those PPPers have to say to that.
They said LFSB never did anything good for Guyana.
He must be turning over in his grave!
Difference is that these were empty slogans under the PNC,
it is good to see the government has realised that agriculture is what will player a greater role in the development of the Guyanese economy and not tourism, which we were busy promoting over the years, even thou we have a number of execellent tourist attraction.
This is what the late President LFS Burnham trying to promote and had understand so well but for some reason or other did not materialised at the ttime.
I was little when LFSB said, “Feed clothes and house ourselves by 1975.” He wanted us to eat what we produce, hence the reason for banning split peas and wheat. Do you know that supermarkets in the US sell rice flour? We would not have been alone. We would have also been efficient by now, when it came to making cakes, pastry and bread with the rice flour.
Split peas and wheat was never banned, imports were restricted to retain foriegn exchange. The restriction was lifted when Mr. Hoyte attained leadership under the PL480 agreement. I am craving for a piece of cassava pone right now or some quinches, how about you?
Too much rice flour = Berri Berri, he gave alot of Guyanese that.
Remember produce or perish? Thank you Mr Burnham.
Yes,Burnham’s words were “produce or perish” And many did produce and they did very well their hard work bore fruit,but lo and behold they still ran away to,the USA ,UK and Canada,complaining of starvation,and yet when they go back to Guyana on Holiday,their suitcasses cannot hold the amount of ca ca belly and qwakwari to take back ,ow!!
Mr President the people of guyana I am sure are willing to take up the challenge if you identify the region and total amount of land a farmer will be given to cultivate. Give them an offer like was offered to Barbados and Jamaica with assistance from the ministry of Agriculture .
It is nice to see persons giving compliments where they are due, though posthumously. Just remember that Jagdeo like most of us professionals is a product of the Burnham era. LFSB was one of the world’s most intelligent men. We will see a lot of things he was working towards then will start making sense now. Remember some of his other ideas, the hydropower projects, experiment in growing hybrid wheat, potatoes, onions etc., etc. The latter two are happening in Little Barbados. Let’s make his dream come alive for the revival of Guyana.
LFSB coined the phrase “grow more food” more than three generations ago and here it is being regurgated again. Something got lost in translation, since Guyana has not made any significant progress in increased food production since.
I clearly remember getting all excited about this campaign and since my yard was all concrete, I planted a tomato tree in an old paint tin filled with sand. It grew well and blossomed, but the blossoms kept falling off, and that was the beginning and end of my grow more food effort. Friends told me that what I did not have a green thumb.
Today we know a lot more about what it takes for a plant to grow and produce fruit other than a green thumb. Gardening in the USA has become a plug and play pastime, yet I somehow get the impression that these simple techniques has still to reach the average Guyanese who need to produce or perish. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong)
There should be sub themes to the grow more food compaign, Like “convert your weeds and silt into food” or “use stored sunshine to fertilize your plants”such catchy phrases normally peaks the human curiousity.
The ministry of Agriculture should put out utube video clips, demonstrating how to use yard waste and convert it into compost. also the importance of a PH soil tester.
A bird or bat could drop a seed to the ground and it will grow if conditions are right. Us humans need a better method than that. We need to know how to make the conditions right before dropping seed. I do believe that is what is being lost in translation.
Joe.
The current regime has more empty slogans than anyone can remember.
However, you fail to see this. What a pity!!!!