President Irfaan Ali today announced a series of plans to ramp up food production in Bonasika. Those plans include the construction of a processing facility in the farming community located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara District. 

In making the announcement during a visit to Bonasika today, the President said while the community is producing approximately 240,000 pounds of ginger annually, it continues to encounter a number of challenges due to the lack of sufficient storage and a processing facility. 

He said the Government plans to support the development of the industry.

“We are going to build in this area a processing facility, so we can take the fresh ginger, dry it and crush it so we can extend the storge time from weeks to months and access higher valued market with the matter,” the President told the residents to loud rounds of applause. 

He urged the farmers to build a production system that integrates all of the islands in the area, that would allow for increased production, and processing in a centralized area.

It was pointed out that in addition to ginger, the community has produced approximately 50 tons of banana, more 200,000 tons of pumpkin and more than 120 tons of provision, including cassava thus far for 2024.   

But the President emphasized that the community has the potential to produce much more on a larger scale. 

“Another big opportunity here is in plantain, the bananas, 50 tons of banana. We want to get the bananas into the regional market, and the good thing about here, we can export directly to CARICOM from here. You don’t need to transport to Georgetown and all of these places,” President Ali said. 

 He said his Administration is building the necessary infrastructure and putting the requisite transportation systems in place to create easier access not only to local markets but regional markets as well, and even further afield. 

As an example, he cited the push for the establishment of a regional ferry service that will service Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, transporting both people and goods. That ferry service, he noted, will operate out of Parika. 

The President also announced plans to launch an Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Programme in Bonasika, which will target women and youths.

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