The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute’s (NAREI) 54 shade houses located in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, have yielded notable results, President Irfaan Ali was informed when he conducted a site visit to assess the progress of the onion project and high-value crops.
A Department of Public Information (DPI) press release said that CEO of the Agriculture and Innovation Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP) Tisha Mangra-Singh provided a comprehensive update to the President, revealing that 54 shade houses had yielded two tonnes of chili peppers, two tonnes of hot peppers, one tonne of carrots, over 50,000 heads of lettuce, and 2.4 tonnes of cauliflowers among other produce. The release said that cultivation extended to other crops such as kale, mint, ‘blue star’ sweet peppers, celery, cilantro, and parsley, with each shade house generating 1,000 to 1,500 heads of lettuce every three weeks. The harvested produce supplies the local community, NAREI’s market day, hotels, and farmers’ markets, and are sold at competitive prices. The high-value crops cultivated are in demand not only in Guyana but also throughout the Caribbean, the release said.
