HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha says Guyana is now being internationally recognised for its ability to feed its own population, marking what he described as a major turnaround for a country that was near the bottom of agricultural and food-security rankings just six years ago.
Speaking at the launch of Agriculture Month 2026, Mustapha said Guyana has emerged among 186 countries assessed globally as a country capable of feeding its population without depending heavily on external food supplies.
“Just over five years [ago], we were almost at the bottom,” Mustapha said, as he pointed to what he described as the rapid expansion and transformation of the agriculture sector.
He said the progress comes at a time when food security is becoming increasingly important globally, with countries facing climate change, extreme weather events, disruptions to international supply chains and uncertainty in global markets.
Guyana, Mustapha acknowledged, is not insulated from those pressures.He noted that the prices of several commodities produced locally are influenced by international markets, while changing weather patterns, including the prospect of drier periods and higher temperatures associated with El Niño conditions, continue to pose challenges for farmers.
According to the minister, those threats have increased the need for better water management, preparedness and investment in climate-resilient agriculture. Mustapha said the government has responded by significantly increasing spending on the sector, with the national agriculture budget rising by approximately 515% between 2020 and 2026.
He said the allocation moved from approximately $18.4 billion in 2020 to $113.2 billion in 2026. That spending, according to Mustapha, has gone towards drainage and irrigation, farm-to-market roads, agro-processing, research, training and agricultural technology.
The minister said major drainage and irrigation projects are currently underway across the country, with the government seeking to provide farmers with the infrastructure needed to expand production.
“When production increases, the country benefits. We become more food secure,” he said. But Mustapha said Guyana’s objective goes beyond producing enough food for its own population.
“We cannot only produce for ourselves. We have to produce for the region too,” he said, pointing to Guyana’s leadership role within CARICOM’s regional food-security efforts.
Mustapha also highlighted investments in agricultural laboratories, silos and technology, saying these form part of the wider effort to modernise production and strengthen the sector.
He maintained that despite climate and international market pressures, Guyana’s agricultural sector has continued to expand and will remain central to both national and regional food security.
