The resuscitation of the coffee industry for Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) will soon be realised as coffee germplasm is set to arrive from Costa Rica.
During a visit to the region, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha shared that farmers would be supplied with the necessary planting materials to redevelop the industry there.
“We are also looking to have other permanent crops grown that were cultivated here in the past. Very shortly we’ll start the reintroduction of cocoa and coffee in the Pomeroon. You know this area used to produce a lot of coffee.The germplasm will be coming from Costa Rica, soon so that we can begin to distribute planting materials to farmers in the Pomeroon. Our technical officers and specialists will also work along with you to develop your plots so that we can resuscitate coffee production,” the Minister added.
Back in August 2022, the Government announced plans to restart coffee cultivation in the Pomeroon, Region Two area. Agriculture Minister Mustapha explained that the goal was to supply the local coffee market within three years.
Mustapha also said that the Ministry was actively working to make all the planting materials for the permanent crops free of cost to farmers in the Pomeroon.
Furthermore, he said that farmers are also benefiting from a series of works to improve their drainage and irrigation, specifically through the “bed and drain”, and block drainage programmes.
Meanwhile, coconut farmers residing in the Pomeroon region will soon benefit from planting materials from the Ministry to boost coconut production.
The Minister told those in attendance that the Government has been making a lot of investments in the region to resuscitate the productive sectors. With coconut being the third most lucrative crop in Guyana, 100 farmers from the Pomeroon will soon receive Brazilian Green Dwarf seed nuts to expand their cultivation.
“A lot of farmers who have plantations have older trees that are not producing the number of coconuts they used to. This is why, as Minister of Agriculture, I’ve decided to implement a programme whereby 100 coconut farmers from the Pomeroon will receive about 7000 high-yielding Brazilian Green Dwarf seed nuts to cultivate. As you know, this variety produces a sweeter and higher volume of coconut water and bears after about three years. This will be a game-changer,” he explained.
Minister Mustapha said that this variety was very productive and would enable both farmers and agro-processors to satisfy the increasing local demand for coconut and coconut-related products, as well as tap into lucrative foreign markets.
He also said that the global value for coconut water was expected to exceed US $11 billion and that the Government was making the resources available to ensure Guyana benefits from that industry.
