Farmers across Guyana now have a direct role in shaping the next phase of the country’s agricultural transformation as recommendations from the inaugural Farmers’ Conference will feed into a national action plan for the sector.
Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha made this clear on Monday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, when the Conference opened.
He told farmers that the government alone cannot transform agriculture, and that the sector’s progress depends on the people who work in it. “This is not a forum where government comes to tell you what we intend to do. It’s a forum to ensure that you have a direct voice in the implementation, refinement, and execution of those policies,” he said.
The conference itself was birthed by farmers.
Minister Mustapha recalled that during an outreach exercise, a group of farmers told him there was no national space where they could meet, talk to each other, and share ideas. “That conversation sowed a seed. Today, we are witnessing the harvest of that seed… This inaugural farmers’ conference was created because we listened,” he said.
The government’s direction for agriculture is set out in its 2025 Manifesto, the National Development Strategy and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.
However, Mustapha noted that those plans succeed only with the practical knowledge of people who work the land, raise livestock, fish Guyana’s waters, and build agribusinesses. “The most effective policies are those shaped by the people who live the realities of farming every day,” Mustapha said.
Participants were placed in breakout groups according to their area of farming. Technical officers from the Ministry of Agriculture are supporting the discussions.
The minister asked farmers to keep the sessions focused on sector-wide solutions rather than personal requests, since other channels already exist for individual matters. “Every suggestion you make, every idea you share, and every recommendation that emerges from these discussions have the potential to influence how we move forward as a sector and as a nation,” he said.
The Guyana Development Bank is also part of the programme. The minister said its involvement reflects the government’s commitment to giving farmers the financing they need to grow their businesses.
The minister also pointed to the range of expertise in the room. Attendees included large-scale producers, emerging entrepreneurs and leaders of farming organisations, some of whom have decades of experience. He encouraged them to use the conference to build connections with each other.
He said farmers’ work also supports Guyana’s role in the CARICOM’s agriculture and food security agenda under President Dr Irfaan Ali, including the CARICOM ’25 by 2025 + 5′ initiative to cut the region’s food import bill. “The work taking place in our fields and our farms and throughout the agricultural communities contributes to Guyana’s development and strengthens our ability to contribute to the Caribbean,” the minister said.
The conference is a flagship activity of Agriculture Month 2026, held under the theme ‘Innovate, Nourish, Grow: Building a Strong and Sustainable Guyana’. President Ali delivered the feature address.
