US$18M programme to support over 4,300 Guyanese farmers

Guyana on Tuesday signed a US$18 million financing agreement with the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) to launch the Agricultural and Infrastructural Development Programme (AIDP), which will benefit over 4,300 farmers across all ten regions of Guyana, with 40 per cent of the beneficiaries being women and youth.

A release stated that CDF Chief Executive Officer, Rodinald Soomer, signed the agreement on behalf of the agency.

Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr Ashni Singh, in brief remarks, thanked the CDF for its continued support and noted that Guyana is proud to be a founding member of the fund and to have benefited from its initiatives over the years.

He also highlighted that the project targets a sector of critical importance and aligns closely with the government’s national development priorities as well as the regional agenda on food security.

The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Finance in the presence of representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance. The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture under the leadership of Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha.