Commercial turmeric production boost for Region One

Last Updated on Friday, 23 August 2024, 17:30 by Writer

Farmers in Region One (Barima-Waini) are getting international help to increase the production of turmeric and already a leading local company has promised to take all of the supplies, a senior official of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said Thursday.

USAID Project Management Specialist, Durwin Humphrey said the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) has “actively collaborated” with Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC) under the USAID-funded Caribbean Agricultural Productivity improvement Activity (CAPA) project to establish two turmeric demonstration farms to encourage farmers to adopt modern cultivation practices. “This intervention is intended to promote the commercial producti0n of turmeric for further processing to meet needs of the local market,” he said.

Mr Humphrey said Edward B. Beharry Company Limited is willing to “expand purchases” provided quality is satisfactory and the price is competitive. “Unless we have the private sector on board and the private sector taking ownership, I believe that our efforts in terms of agriculture transformation may not be sustained,” he said at the signing of memoranda of understanding between USAID-CAPA, NAREI and the Economic Development Fund Inc. (EDF).

NAREI, with support from CAPA, has been providing extension support to cherry farmers at Laluni, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

CAPA Programme Director, Sandiford Edwards said his organisation – which covers Guyana, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago – has already formulated manuals for farm-based training to match production with marketing; market briefs, and 12 demonstration farms across the region, demonstration farm-based training in collaboration with experts; establishment of modern technology-driven shade houses; training in farming as business; technical assistance to financial institutions for lending for agriculture; fresh produce solutions; formulation of business plans; improving packaging and labelling, and the provision of climate-smart agriculture extension services.