As the budget debates intensify in the National Assembly on Day 3, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha and Opposition MP Vinceroy Jordan engaged in a debate on allocations and investments in the agriculture sector.
Opposition MP Vinceroy Jordan opened the debates by urging the government to implement a more targeted approach for expanding the local agriculture sector.
He argued that not enough is being done to promote the expansion of rural agriculture and involve more youths in the sector.
Jordan also accused the government of investing in programs that don’t necessarily benefit farmers across the country.
In response, Minister Zulfikar Mustapha rejected these claims, stating that since 2020, the agriculture sector has undergone a rapid transformation catering to both small-scale rural-based subsistence-level farming enterprises and dynamic large-scale plantation industries.
Minister Mustapha emphasized Guyana’s commitment to leading CARICOM in the ambitious goal of reducing its import bill by 25 percent by 2025.
He also highlighted the government’s focus on expanding the sugar industry, pointing to the $6 billion allocated to GuySuCo this year.
The government has budgeted $97.6 billion for the agricultural sector in 2024, compared to the total of $60 billion allocated in 2023.