By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News |
KURU KURU, SOESDYKE-LINDEN HIGHWAY — Residents and agricultural producers in Kuru Kuru were upbeat over the weekend as President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali visited the community, pitching modern high-yield farming models, stingless bee apiculture, and commercial livestock ventures to transform the Soesdyke-Linden Highway corridor into an intensive agro-production hub.
Highlighting the recent passage and presidential assent of the Guyana Development Bank Act, the Head of State encouraged farmers along the highway to form organized producer clusters to access low-cost capital and transition away from traditional, land-heavy cultivation toward modern, climate-smart agriculture.
Maximizing Small Acreages with Shade Houses and High-Value Crops
Addressing residents, President Ali observed that many highway farmers possess up to five acres of agricultural land but struggle to maintain even half an acre under open-field conditions.
He emphasized that modern shade house technology yields significantly higher profit margins and output on smaller plots:
- Land Optimization: Transitioning from extensive, unmaintained acreages to intensive half-acre shade house operations focused on short-cycle, high-demand produce.
- Guaranteed Market Linkages: The administration, through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC) and the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), will secure off-take agreements and supply chains for local produce.
- Cultivation of Processing Inputs: Farmers were urged to cultivate exotic and hybrid fruits, as well as high-demand local crops such as cherries and guavas, to supply commercial agro-processors like Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) for beverage and concentrate manufacturing.
“What I have found with the farmers is that you guys have sometimes five acres of land each, but you are not even maintaining half an acre,” President Ali pointed out. “In modern farming, you don’t need five acres—what you can do with a half-acre land with a shade house, you’ll make more money than five acres. You need to have shade houses so that you can do it in a modern way.”
Stingless Bee Honey and Commercial Swine Production
Beyond vegetable and fruit cultivation, the President outlined two specialized agricultural ventures for the community:
- Stingless Bee Apiculture: President Ali proposed the establishment of meliponiculture (stingless bee honey production), noting that stingless bee honey represents a high-value superfood rich in antioxidants and low on the glycemic index, preventing sharp blood sugar spikes.
- Swine Production Facilities: Outlined plans for a structured community swine project, where modern pig pens will be constructed to expand domestic meat supply.
- Guyana Development Bank Financing: Farmers and youth clusters can fund these facilities through the newly established Guyana Development Bank, which provides up to $3 million (GYD) in zero-interest, collateral-free financing to micro-, small-, and medium-sized agricultural enterprises.
Ministerial Oversight and Youth Mobilization
To ensure rapid execution, President Ali assigned Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Vanessa Benn, to serve as the direct liaison for Kuru Kuru.
Minister Benn will work directly alongside community youth groups, women’s cooperatives, and local farming bodies to organize the development bank applications, construct shade houses, and launch the pilot apiculture projects along the highway.
