The Chief Executive Officer of the Berbice rice-milling giant Nand Persaud and Company, Mahendra Persaud has told the Stabroek Business that his company regards the collaborative initiative with the University of Guyana to create a new Soil Testing Laboratory at the University’s Tain Campus as much more than just another philanthropic undertaking.
The head of what has evolved into the country’s most influential rice-milling operation believes that it could be a ‘giant leap forward’ for agriculture in Berbice and beyond where enhancing the sector, both qualitatively and quantitatively continues to be held back by technological limitations.
Persaud sees the optimization of the services which the new laboratory will provide as both reducing risks associated with soil-related crop diseases including saving on investment in the cultivation of crops that could fail on account of soil-related deficiencies. Reliable soil testing, Persaud told Stabroek Business provides a degree of assurance that brings a generous measure of comfort to the farmer regarding the outcome of his investment.
