With plans to build a modern drying and storage facility, farmers across Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are being encouraged to explore crop diversification in order to yield more value from their farmlands. This call was reiterated by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday during a community meeting at Affiance, Essequibo Coast, where he engaged residents, including farmers. During the meeting, one farmer suggested that a cold storage facility be built on the coast to encourage more farmers to diversify their crops. In response, President Ali informed residents that there are already plans to construct such a facility.

“We will invest in that. So, if we can get a hundred people to do one acre of peppers each… you’ve got a hundred acres of peppers. We will build a cold storage because they got peppers to store. And then, we keep it when the market is good and we put it in the system. We want to support you in crop diversification,” he declared. The Guyanese leader pointed out that when Government makes such huge investments like this to benefit farmers, they expect those beneficiaries to be consistent in not only their production but also in pricing to consumers. “If we want to build long-term success, we have to build a win-win situation where you know that you have a consistent price for your product, and we know we have a consistent supply for the product. So, once you have a consistent supply and a consistent price, then the thing will work.”

“We can’t build this school storage, and then when we get to the market, one month the pepper is $60 a pint and the next month it’s $300 a pint. Remember, it’s a business model. So that is what we have to sit down and work out. We have to diversify and we have to invest in the infrastructure that will support diversification. And we’re going to do that, but you also have to help us from the other end,” he emphasised.