| …urges private sector to take up mantle, work with Gov’t By Gary EleazarHead of State Bharrat Jagdeo at Wednesday’s certification ceremony for the Ogle International Airport said that if Guyana wanted to position itself as the food basket of the Caribbean,Wholesale Jerseys, then it is imperative that the nation moves toward what he called a plantation-type method of farming.According to Jagdeo,Marlon Humphrey Jersey, the private sector must take up the mantle and invest in farming on a large scale, pointing out that whilst peasant/subsistence farming was good, the scale of farming in Guyana must be significantly increased.“I would like to see the private sector partner with the government in large scale, plantation-type agriculture in the hinterland.”The President noted that there must be a serious look at how the government and the private sector could structure a deal in order to, “get this project off the ground and ensure that it does not become another dream or something we talk about.”According to the President there was talk of a University campus in Berbice ever since the 1960s and today it is a reality.“In 1972 there was talk to build the CARICOM Headquarters…it is there now.” He added to that, there was talk of a bridge across the Berbice River ever since the 1950s and today it is a reality.“We spent $300M on a hydro-project where all the steel is rotting in the jungle…we just left it there because of bad planning…it’s hard work…how do we structure these arrangements to make the many things we talk about not just cliché?”Jagdeo stressed that there is need for foreign technical expertise to build the logistics including transportation. He added that there is the need for more money to be spent on research, “we need greater incentive for agricultural production.”The Head of State insisted that there is need for a value-added arm to the growing of crops, “that is what it will take to make us the food basket of the Caribbean.”The President pointed out that there were areas that need to be heavily focused on in order to achieve the objective. He noted that, “first we need to do things at scale,NFL Jerseys Wholesale,” adding that small scale projects are important but, “they are not going to have the transformative impact on our society that we wish.”According to Jagdeo, “what is also necessary is the sustainability of the programmes in tough market conditions, and to have that happen, we have to have productivity and the competitiveness of our product.” This, he said,Cheap Jerseys, is supposed to be a mantra across the board and was not just specific to agricultural produce.Jagdeo during the sod turning ceremony for the new Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Head Office building, in Kingston, Georgetown last year had stated that while the food import bill for the Caribbean might have doubled, it presents Guyana with a $6B opportunity.He pointed out that this country “can make a lot of money” from the rising food prices by moving to eat up longing markets,Air Max Pas Cher Destockage, like the Caribbean.His remarks were made one day after a visit to the Essequibo Coast, where he mentioned the aggressive campaign to get farmers to increase production and occupy more land, and said Government will facilitate the capacity for those willing to cultivate an additional 5,000 acres, but are without the money to develop drainage and irrigation.Jagdeo told the audience at the GBTI function, among them representatives of other leading financial institutions,NFL Jerseys From China, that the Private Sector needs to go out and be “a little bit more innovative” in taking charge of the huge chance that has presented itself in the context of rising food prices. |
