By Saskia Warrick | January 6, 2025
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha remains optimistic that Guyana and the wider Caribbean will meet their goal of reducing food imports by 25% by the end of 2025, despite setbacks caused by Hurricane Beryl.
During his year-end press conference, Minister Mustapha highlighted the region’s progress, with a 12% reduction in food imports following the last Heads of Government meeting.
However, Hurricane Beryl caused significant disruptions, impacting agricultural production across several Caribbean nations.
Despite these challenges, Minister Mustapha emphasized ongoing efforts to diversify the agricultural sector and collaborative projects aimed at assisting affected countries.
He expressed confidence that these strategies would keep the region on track to meet its food security targets.
The Minister also revealed that a taskforce had developed a comprehensive action plan to rebuild the agricultural sector, which will be vital for achieving the goal of reduced food imports.