A total of $113.2 Billion has been budgeted for the country’s Agriculture Sector, and that represents $28.3 Billion more than in 2025.
The Government is seeking to reinforce Agriculture as a major pillar of Guyana’s diversification efforts, and buttress the country’s position in the region as the leader in food security.
“We will continue to work to improve production and productivity, improve market access, and increase farm and household income. We will invest in a regional food hub, mega food parks, modern port facilities with cold storage capabilities, and agri-tech and agro-industrial complexes. We will also undertake the development of 100,000 acres of new arable lands, incentivise large, medium and small-scale farming, strengthen the agriculture value chain and promote greater use of smart and appropriate technologies, while establishing a network of permanent farmers markets to expand both domestic, export and value added opportunities,” Minister Singh said.
To support its vision, the Government has budgeted $13.4 Billion for the Sugar Industry, and $430M to assist those in the Rice Industry, in addition to $1B to aid in the construction of climate controlled silos for the industry.
He said in the Rice, Industry, the Government continues to support its subsectors with production-focused initiatives that are intended to expand acreage and improve yields.
“Over the next five years, Government will invest in seed processing facilities, establish rice producing clusters, promote domestic fertilizer production, increase storage capacity through climate-controlled silos, work diligently to secure lucrative markets for paddy and rice, and develop and market value-added rice-based products. An amount of $1 Billion is budgeted in 2026 to commence construction of the silos,” Minister Singh explained.
He said the Government is already aggressively pursuing trade opportunities for rice to expand reliable markets in Mexico and Europe.
Additionally, $3.3 Billion has been set aside to support the development of ‘other crops’ such as corn and soya bean, coconut, spices and citrus.
In the Agro-Processing Sector, Minister Singh said the Government intends to build on the foundation laid in the last five years, explaining that during its last term, the Government built 15 Agro-processing and 10 cold storage facilities.
The Finance Minister said the Government intends to continue along this line, investing in additional agro-processing facilities such as fruit pulping hubs, and state-of-the-art cold storage and packaging facilities. According to him, these interventions will result in the reduction of post-harvest losses, and improve our export readiness.
“In 2026, Government will commence works on an agro-processing port facility at Parika, and a fruit pulping hub at Lethem. Additionally, agro-processing facilities across the country will be upgraded and we will continue to train agro-processors and promote our local products. To this end, the sum of $800 million was spent in 2025, and $745 Million is budgeted to implement our plans for 2026,” he said.
Additionally, the Government has budgeted $1.9 Billion for the Livestock Industry, $1.5B for the Fisheries Sector and $81.9B for Drainage and Irrigation.
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