Agriculture sector gets $1.33b to encourage youths

The agriculture sector has been allocated $1.330 billion in the budget, $81 million more than last year.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert made the announcement during his presentation in Parliament on Monday.

Agriculture received $1.249 billion in 2021, $51 million more than the $1.198 billion allotted the year before.

Imbert said a key component of the Government's new strategy is to encourage young people to go back into agriculture.

Imbert said the recently established Youth Agricultural Homestead Programme is developing part-time modules for agricultural programmes in collaboration with the Metal Industries Company (MIC) Institute of Technology.

They cater to participants 18-35, and offers retraining for people 36-50, he added.

These programmes areto be available at Fyzabad Field Road, Chatham Dairy Farm, and Kendall Dairy Farm in Palo Seco. They are also set for Valencia, Gran Couva. Pointe-a-Pierre, Todds Road, Lopinot and Santa Cruz.

Imberty said the programme targets young people who will be provided access to land and the necessary financial and technical support to become successful entrepreneurs.

He also referred to the Youth Agricultural Shade House Project, administered by UWI and the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit of Guyana.

He said it is a one-year programme that focuses on specialised hands-on training.

"It is intensive farming on small portions of land with very high yield. The programme encourages young people between 16 and35 to participate in the 12-month training period for which 100 participants will be selected."

The project, Imbert said, was anchored on an MOU executed by the Prime Minister in May to co-operate with other Caribbean countries to achieve food security in the region.