The Guyana Citrus Project – A Citrus Nursery Agribusiness Opportunity
– A Stabroek Business Column dedicated to the ventilation of ideas pertaining to the current global food crisis and the response by Guyana and the Caribbean
The Guyana Citrus Project business plan requires a total of one million virus free citrus plants to satisfy the minimum 5000hectares of citrus orchards proposed for the Upper Berbice / Upper Demerara sub-regions. The company itself will grow and manage 2000 hectares, with the expectation that local farmers and agro-investors will take up the challenge of fulfilling the additional acreage, and even surpassing it within the targeted seven to eight years. In order to ensure the phytosanitary integrity of established orchards, and hence longevity of the citrus trees, it is obligatory that budded citrus plants set out in the orchards, be of the best quality and be free of the debilitating virus diseases which can significantly reduce the productive life of the trees. Citrus Tristeza Virus or CTV is the most commonly occurring of the citrus virus family, and is prevalent across citrus cultivations in Guyana. West Indian lime or Round lime and Valencia orange are most susceptible. CTV is commonly described as “slow decline” as testimony to the gradual weakening of the tree and reduction in bearing capacity over several years before the tree dies. The other members of the citrus virus family – Exocortis, Psoriasos, and Xyloporosis are equally as virulent, but not as prevalent.
Citrus Propagation Essentials:
In the propagation of commercial citrus trees, the desirable specie of fruit (orange, tangerine, lime, grapefruit ortanique etc) is “budded” on to a rootstock generated from seed. The two commonly used rootstocks in the Guyana citrus industry are Seville orange, commonly known as Civil orange or sour orange) – preferred for heavy clay soils because it imparts resistance to foot rot disease, and Rough lemon – well suited for the lighter sandy soils of the hinterland areas and with some tolerance – but not resistant- to Citrus Tristeza Virus.
The selected bud-wood, and the parent tree from which it is taken must be free of the abovementioned viruses. The necessity for a certified virus free bud-wood source is therefore paramount, underlining the plan to develop bud-wood gardens from which clean propagatory material can be sourced.
The age old budding technique of slicing a bud or scion from a twig of the mother tree and securing it under the bark of the rootstock plant, is one which requires skill and experience, measured both in the output of the propagator as well as in the percentage “take.” A good propagator will average at least a 95% take, with an output of 250 to 300 plants per day.
Citrus nursery Strategic Plan:
Traditionally, citrus propagation in Guyana has been the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture (National Agriculture Research Institute) through its propagation stations at Mon Repos, Timehri, Mabaruma and West Demerara. In recent years a few private nurseries have entered the realm of citrus propagation as national demand for greater quantities of citrus plants increases. It is recognized by CCGA that the accustomed and traditional sources of citrus plants (MOA /NARI) will not be able to satisfy the needs of the project, hence the need for a specific contingency citrus nursery plan, drawing on the farming private sector resources and expertise.
Citrus nursery operations for the CCGA Guyana citrus project will be governed by a citrus nursery strategic plan supported by a network of private nurseries. Within this plan the actual nursery locations would be predicated (inter alia) on the location of the citrus processing plant in the industrial town of Linden. Fruit delivery distances from the savannahs would be much longer, but this location would open up opportunities for small and medium size farmers in the Linden environment and along the Soesdyke Linden Highway. Similarly the presence of the processing plant in Linden would result in awakened interest among neighboring citrus farmers and the need for nurseries to supply their expanding production needs.
The Citrus Nursery Strategic Plan will guide the processes and activities toward a successful citrus planting material production programme. The main elements of this plan are as follows.
Goal: One million healthy virus free citrus plants propagated and distributed to participating citrus farmers /stakeholders.
Timeframe: The target is to be fulfilled within 8 years from commencement of the plan, adhering to a production schedule consistent with the development plan of the project.
Production scheduling: Two pilot nurseries will be established initially before the end of 2007 to test and streamline a module, which would eventually be replicated in other selected locations to a maximum of five modules. All five modules should be fully functional by the end of the second year after startup. Initially 15000 plants per annum, per nursery module, equivalent to 100 acres (40ha), but with capacity to double the production once the project picks up momentum.
Nursery locations: The plan will allow for two categories of nursery, viz. Primary nurseries, which would have direct oversight by the CCGA technical nursery management facility in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture. Secondary nurseries would be privately owned and operated by joint venture partners, or agricultural entrepreneurs, but with basic technical guidelines from CCGA or the local regulatory bodies within the Guyana Ministry of Agriculture.
Technical Parameters: The important technical parameters to be addressed and adequately fulfilled are: (i) appropriate rootstock and scion, (ii) rootstock scion compatibility, (iii) design of nursery, (iv) seedling and potting mixes, (v) sowing containers, (vi) virus-free testing and certification of scion material, (vii) consideration on the establishment of parent nurseries and bud-wood gardens to ensure the phytosanitary integrity of the propagated material.
Organizational Strategy: The initial nursery will be located in the Tacama Savannahs on the farm of an active savannah farmer. Other options for nurseries would be at other farm locations in the wider Intermediate Savannahs, and at Linden and / or on the Soesdyke Linden Highway. It may be advisable for interested citrus farmers entering the programme as satellite farmers or joint venture partners, to set up their individual nurseries if they intend to establish acreages in excess of 100 hectares. All selected nursery locations would have adequate land space to accommodate the initial module, and also provide for expansion if necessary. Electricity and running water would be essential.
Agribusiness Opportunities: While CCGA / Citrus Company (Guyana) Inc (CCGI) will be involved in orchard production on its 2000 hectare savannah lease, the company does not anticipate direct involvement in production of the million plus citrus plants required. Rather a window will be opened to enterprising local individuals with the appropriate skills, as well as to vibrant farming groups (for example- the Region 10 Farmers Association), to seize a lucrative agribusiness opportunity. CCGA has already had fruitful discussions with government regulatory agencies at NARI and the Ministry of Agriculture on the approaches necessary for a coordinated and cohesive citrus nursery programme using the agriculture private sector as the main production agent.
Interested persons can e-mail the author at electrof@solutions2000.net for further information.
