-by Nakasia Logan

President Irfaan Ali has outlined plans for major agricultural investments in Region Ten, including the establishment of the country’s large-scale swine production operations.

The initiative aims to expand the region’s productive capacity and position Linden as a hub for supplying Guyana’s hinterland.

Speaking during an outreach to the region on Wednesday, President Ali said the government through the Guyana Development Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture will mobilise farmers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to develop new production ventures in the region.

The president said that the Development Bank would be central to helping groups access the resources and financing needed to expand production, while also creating opportunities in related areas such as cold storage, construction and other services.

Outlining plans for the increased production, President Irfaan Ali described the vision as a massive one.

We’re going to work through the Development Bank in the Ministry of Agriculture to have one of the major tunnel host programs in Linden, where you are supplying your own poultry, where you are supplying the hinterland. We want one of the largest swine production here in Region 10. We want to launch a massive swine production farm area.

The objective, President Ali noted, is to create opportunities for young people, women and other residents of Region 10 to become more deeply involved in the productive system and benefit from the wider economic cycle.

Meanwhile, President Ali urged residents to reject divisive narratives, particularly on the basis of where investors come from or who owns businesses operating in the region, warning that such an approach would undermine efforts to attract investment and build a modern economy.

“We can’t build a modern Region 10 and a modern Region Linden, believing that we can lock the rest of the country out. The economy is integrated, our systems are integrated, our investment structure is integrated, our financial system is integrated. What we have to do in Linden is create the investment climate so that more investors would want to come here, so that Linden can be an attractive destination for investors,” he said.

The President underscored that Region 10’s development is integral to Guyana’s overall growth, with more investment, more production, and more opportunities for people to benefit from the country’s economic progress.