Agricultural development in Region Three has received a significant boost with the commissioning of a new $58.5 million agro-processing facility at Canal Number One Polder, aimed at increasing farmers’ incomes and reducing post-harvest losses.
The facility, commissioned on Saturday, will convert raw agricultural produce into value-added goods while creating year-round employment opportunities, particularly in rural communities.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the project marks a shift away from the traditional focus on exporting raw commodities.
“For too long, we have been producing primary products and exporting primary products. Today, in Canal Polder, we are now harvesting that potential,” he said.
“Agro-processing in Guyana is not only about adding value; it is about transforming the way we do things. It is about creating new opportunities and empowering people.”
Mustapha said the facility was strategically established in Canal Number One Polder, one of the most productive agricultural communities in the region, known for its abundant fruit production, and urged farmers to utilise it fully.
The plant is equipped with mixers, blenders, stoves, stainless steel containers, heavy-duty scales and chillers, and is capable of 24-hour operation using mechanised processes designed to lower operational costs.
It will operate free of cost and provide support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Mustapha said the ministry, through the Guyana Marketing Corporation, is assessing opportunities across the country to further transform the sector and make it more resilient.
“We are making this sector a major source of income for our country’s population. That is the way we are transforming this sector,” he said.
The Canal Number One facility brings the total number of agro-processing facilities established nationwide to 15, spanning Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Nine and Ten.
Minister Mustapha examines the new facility
