Following promising results from the trial cultivation of onions, Guyana is well on its way to meeting local onion demands, as it intends to scale up the production at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.
In this vein, the government has already developed 10 acres of land for another trial in onion production.
This was highlighted by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha during a recent episode of the ‘Guyana Dialogue’.
Minister Mustapha emphasised, “We have already started the trial. Last time, we had 18 tonnes per acre. We are looking to increase that. We have started a 10 acre for another trial in onion production.”
During an assessment of the cultivation of high-value crops and the onion project in November 2023, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali emphasised the importance of strategically focusing on regional markets, anticipating lower import costs and a major boost to national food security.
The onion project had spanned 2.6 acres of land.
The Brazilian variety of onions, which was imported to reduce the country’s dependence on imports, demonstrated a harvest of about 9.5 tonnes per acre across the 12 beds.
It was also highlighted that onions could be produced twice a year with favourable results.
Besides the onion project, Guyana has also diversified into the cultivation of other crops such as citrus, spices, cocoa, coffee, hemp, millet, wheat, and barley.
These are some of the new crops that are at experimental stages that Guyana intends to add to its crop production in the coming years. The undertaking of traditional and non-traditional crops is all part of efforts geared towards Guyana and the Caribbean region achieving food security by the year 2025. [DPI]
