A likely preoccupation with managing the incremental socio- economic transformation that is projected to arise out of Guyana’s oil and gas industry should not be allowed to compromise the traditional heavy focus on the country’s agriculture sector, not at a time when concerns over regional and global food security dictate that the country direct more resources towards the continual growth of the sector. An ‘oil economy’ is by no means a substitute for a food-secure country.
This, if the country’s January 16 budget presentation is anything to go by, is one of the overarching messages embodied in the presentation to the National Assembly by Senior Minister in the Office of the President Responsible for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh.
