Guyana seeks to position agriculture as regional investment and food-security hub
Key Points(5)
- Guyana is positioning its agricultural sector as a regional production and investment hub, leveraging its land, freshwater resources, expanding infrastructure and strategic access to CARICOM and northern Brazil to strengthen food security across the Caribbean.
- The country is attracting investment across areas including corn and soy production, livestock, aquaculture, large-scale farming, agro-processing, cold storage, logistics, packaging and value-added food production.
- The strategy marks a shift from exporting primarily raw commodities toward attracting investors to establish processing and other value-added operations in Guyana.
- Officials say the approach could expand productive capacity, create jobs and allow the country to retain more of the value generated from its agricultural resources.
- Peter Ramsaroop, chief investment officer at the Guyana Office for Investment, said the strategy also presents opportunities for businesses across CARICOM through joint ventures, contract farming, processing facilities, regional distribution networks and technology partnerships.
Guyana is positioning its agricultural sector as a regional production and investment hub, leveraging its land, freshwater resources, expanding infrastructure and strategic access to CARICOM and northern Brazil to strengthen food security across the Caribbean.
The country is attracting investment across areas including corn and soy production, livestock, aquaculture, large-scale farming, agro-processing, cold storage, logistics, packaging and value-added food production.
The strategy marks a shift from exporting primarily raw commodities toward attracting investors to establish processing and other value-added operations in Guyana. Officials say the approach could expand productive capacity, create jobs and allow the country to retain more of the value generated from its agricultural resources.
Peter Ramsaroop, chief investment officer at the Guyana Office for Investment, said the strategy also presents opportunities for businesses across CARICOM through joint ventures, contract farming, processing facilities, regional distribution networks and technology partnerships.
“The investment proposition is straightforward: produce in Guyana, add value in Guyana and use Guyana as a platform to supply the Caribbean,” Ramsaroop said in an interview with the Department of Information.
CARICOM investment currently accounts for about 5% of recorded investment activity in Guyana, with notable participation from Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados has also invested in services, alongside other Caribbean markets.
Guyana is seeking to build on that investment by creating supply chains that connect Caribbean capital and expertise with its agricultural resources and access to South American markets.
As agricultural production and processing capacity expand, the government is seeking to position Guyana as more than a supplier of raw commodities. The country aims to develop a regional platform where production, processing, storage and distribution can converge to support CARICOM’s food-security goals.
The strategy is ultimately intended to translate increased investment in Guyana’s agricultural sector into greater regional food security while creating new opportunities for Caribbean businesses to participate in the country’s expanding economy.
