Look how these lil c00l1e boys getting things going.  Guyana will be the bread basket of the region.

Harvesting begins at Santa Fe - scope of operations to be expanded

A visiting team of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture was impressed by the progress at the Santé Fe mega farm which has begun harvesting of paddy. Director of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) Dr. Oudho Homenauth and General Manager (GM) of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Jagnarine Singh and other officials visited the farm on Tuesday.

The first bumper crop of dry land rice will be processed at the nearby mill which was set up for this purpose.

The aim of this most recent visit by the Ministry was to allow the agriculture experts to learn about the techniques being employed to ensure the farm is successful.

Importantly, though upland rice cultivation is a first-time venture on such a scale in Guyana, neighbouring country Brazil, on similar soil has been able to enjoy 25 years of success in this type of cultivation.

And this is a fact that the Santa Fe project has capitalised on, as it was explained that they have modelled their cultivation to mirror that of the techniques employed in Brazil, and is in fact utilising a Brazilian expert to guide the process.

The rice mill at Santa Fe, Region Nine

For the Santa Fe project, which has been taken on by the Simpson family of Barbados, the first crop now being harvested is the AR Irja 424 variety which was tried and tested in Brazil.

Given the soil type, planting this variety calls for greater fertiliser application which means using three times the fertiliser regimen that is used on the coastland. The crop also utilises a greater use of pesticide....

[baseman quote]

Look how these lil c00l1e boys getting things going.  Guyana will be the bread basket of the region.[quote]

Since when the Simpson from Barbados is coo1ie boys? Suh Guyana will be the bread basket of the region by a Bajan run farm? Ah tell yuh be careful, as a water boy them PPP bais nah guh tolerate yuh dotishness... 

One needs to grasp the facts and reasons why individuals from Barbados are currently engaged with agricultural production in Guyana.

Progress is indeed being made in Guyana.

In case CaribJ scream that it is a Black Barbadian, let us get the record straight and show him who control the wealth in Bbados, a white man haahahahah:

http://www.nationnews.com/arti...view/mega-agro-deal/

          Sun, March 31, 2013 - 12:09 AM

BARBADOS’ MOST SUCCESSFUL entrepreneur, Sir Kyffin Simpson, has made a multimillion-dollar investment in what is being called a mega farm in Guyana. This move is seen as strategic as it diversifies his vehicle and petroleum businesses with high demand agricultural cash crops.

The farm, located in Santa Fe in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region some 231 miles (or 371 km) south-west of Georgetown, will be producing rice, corn, soya, cow beans, guar and eventually moso bamboo trees primarily for export. Already 10 000 acres are being prepared for cultivation and this will be extended by another 30 000 acres as production is steadily increased. Sir Kyffin has the option of tripling this acreage if the venture proves successful.

With the project in its infancy all the necessary infrastructure, such as irrigation, drainage canals and a pump system, is being put in place. Recently a state-of-the-art rice mill with huge silos to store the paddy harvested has been commissioned. And by the end of June the first rice crop comprising 120 acres will be reaped.

Sources indicate that Sir Kyffin who has always had an interest in agriculture was very keen to explore the opportunities that such a venture

Progress progress progress:

Santa Fe opens a vista of opportunities

Written by

Friday, 21 June 2013 20:31

Officials from the Agriculture Ministry have indicated that they are impressed by the progress at the Santé Fe mega farm which has begun harvesting of paddy. They are right to be impressed, because the Santa Fe investment is a ground-breaking one and is a significant boost to the local agriculture sector and could be the major stimulant in the unleashing of the huge agricultural potential of our interior communities. The first bumper crop of dry-land rice will be processed at the nearby mill which was set up for this purpose. Importantly, upland rice cultivation is a first-time venture on such a scale in Guyana, neighbouring country Brazil, on similar soil, has been able to enjoy 25 years of success in this type of cultivation. Given the short growing season associated in upland rice cultivation, the rice can be planted around the rainy season in the region. There is also scope for the cultivation of other crops and the farm is exploring cultivation of some fruits and vegetables as the aim is to create a large-scale multi-farm. At present, all crops, including rice, are being done on a very small scale, but the expectation is to increase production over time, even as plans are in place to introduce new cultivation to the farm. The next rice crop is expected to see about 1,000 acres of rice cultivated, 980 acres more than what was planted in this first crop. During the next rainy season, the farm will venture into soya bean cultivation. Also on the agenda is the rearing of beef and dairy animals on 30 acres of the farmland. While this investment will boost the agriculture sector, it will also open a new vista of opportunities in the communities with respect to the opening up of new businesses and the creation of employment as related businesses, particularly those involved in machinery and spare parts. Greater employment will help to reduce poverty which is one of the main concerns in our hinterland communities. In addition, the Santa Fe farm is strategically placed in that it is located close to our giant South American neighbour Brazil, which has a large market for rice and other agricultural produce and products. This market could be tapped into which will bring greater dividends for both the investor and the national economy. Santa Fe is yet another example of exciting and positive things that are happening in our country which some who sit in their “Ivory Towers” in Georgetown are unaware of and continue to unjustifiably bash the government for doing nothing for the socio-economic advancement of this country. And had it not been for the destructive ways of the cynics and their collaborators, there would have been even more exciting and optimistic developments in our country

If yuh pull yuh head out yuh kakahole and look you will see while the PPP using the people money and Chinese labor to build Marriot hotel, the Bajan is will use Guyana natural resource to become the breadbasket of the Caribbean... 

Rest assured that the Chinese were correct in using their own labor as they are the contractors and are bound by deadlines for deliverables. Guyanese labor would have slowed the project down and increased the cost due to stealing and sloppy work. These Chinese workers are quite experienced in constructing this type of structure as the team has done this time and time again all over the world. It would have been the first for Guyanese builders and you folks would have been crying a different tune, criticizing them for sloth and sloppyness. 

But I would not cry any tears for the Guyanese construction workers, they are employed all over the nation, working in the housing boom.