Stabroek News, April 17, 2008
http://www.stabroeknews.com/?p
Government is in the process of repossessing unutilized lands in the
intermediate savannahs that were given out to holdings for plantation
type agriculture to make them available to others.
Meanwhile, President Bharrat Jagdeo has said that Trinidad and Tobago
(T&T) had expressed an interest in agricultural pursuits in Guyana
"but unfortunately we have been unable to move beyond expressions of
interests."
At a press conference he held at the Office of the President on
Tuesday, the President said with regard to T&T's interest, "When we
tried to pin down specific projects we have not had much success."
Trinidad has since announced it is setting up its own mega farms on
the twin-island
While speaking about the rising cost of living and ensuring food
security and how this could be dealt with, Jagdeo said that
plantation-type agriculture was important for Guyana.
At present, he said, there are a few proposals which are being
examined. He said that lands given out to large-scale holdings but not
utilized are being recovered to make them available to others with
plans to develop them.
He noted that in June Guyana would be hosting a conference under the
aegis of Caricom to bring regional government officials and investors
in agriculture along with their bankers to see how much business could
be done.
Noting that the government was ensuring that adequate supplies of rice
are available in Guyana, Jagdeo said that the price of rice could not
be kept low when the current rate on the world market is now US$700
per tonne and farmers would want to benefit from the world price.
Basmati rice is also now selling at US$1,200 per tonne on the world
market.
He said that the increase in price was due mainly to drought which is
affecting some countries, increased demand for food in emerging
economies like China and India, the movement away from production of
grains for food to production for ethanol, and the rising cost of oil.
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