Agro processing Facility Commissioned at St. Ignatius

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha on Saturday, announced the commissioning of an agro-processing facility in St. Ignatius, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) worth GYD $15 million. Corresponding with the New Guyana Marketing Corporation’s 2022 work programme, farmers within the district will now be equipped with the machinery to process peanuts and cashew nuts. Minister Mustapha stated that the commissioning of this facility came from the urgency demanded by farmers who expressed a lack of marketing connection inbound and outbound Guyana within the agriculture and agro-processing industry, improper labelling and packaging, and the unavailable resources for product development. He said, “It was pointed out that current production of peanut butter and cashew-nut butter is very laborious, time-consuming, and limited in quantity produced, and therefore, there is a need for a facility with modern mechanical processing equipment to shell, peel, and grind the nuts, before packaging using state-of-the-art procedures. Today we are here to deliver on this promise we made to you.” In turn, this addition to the agro processing sector was made in hopes of the reduction of the Caribbean Food Import Bill by 25% by 2025. Ms. Teshawna Hall, General Manager of the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, described the purpose of the initiative as potentially benefiting the hinterland communities, increasing food security, and economic empowerment through the creation of sustainable agriculture practices. It is estimated that this facility has the capacity to produce 6480 kg. of peanuts and cashew nut butter, and 50 kg. of dehydrated fruits and vegetables month-by-month.

Source(Image: Newsroom)

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21 Nov 2022 17:15 | by anaraine