Thirty small and medium-scale farmers from Region Four (Demerara – Mahaica) yesterday received inputs to boost their production totaling some $3.3 million, a release from the Ministry of Agriculture said.
This was made possible through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) under Component Two of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme (SADP). Under Component 2 of the SADP Project funding was allocated for the bolstering of the ministry’s extension system. This included training of both staff and farmers and the establishment of research and demonstration plots. To help with the adoption of the new technology promoted by the ministry, a grant incentive programme (non-cash) was also designed to support small and medium farmers.
Last June, during a handing over exercise at the ministry’s Regent Street office, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha received the items on behalf of the Government of Guyana from IDB’s Country Representative to Guyana. Farmers also received some of the inputs procured under the project during that exercise.
Through the initiative, some 6,000 farmers from across the coast will benefit from US$3 million worth of inputs and technical assistance as part of the government’s efforts to boost Guyana’s agriculture sector.
Both crops and livestock farmers received items which included small land tillers, breeding animals inclusive of cattle, swine, small ruminants, and black giants birds, improved planting materials, farrowing crates, water pumps, nipple drinks, and water systems, drip systems (both tape and hose), pasture fence materials inclusive of wire and posts, shadehouse materials inclusive of mesh, plastic, and building material, milking machines, threshing machines, plucking machine, plastic mulch, building materials for pen upgrades, weeding machines, incubators, mist blowers, grass chipper, and gestation crates.
