Source: caribbeannewsglobal.com, News Editor, First Published June 19, 2025 The government of Guyana and the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Development Fund (CDF) signed US$18 million financing agreement, to kickstart the Agricultural and Infrastructural Development Programme (AIDP) which will see over 4,300 farmers across the ten regions of Guyana benefitting, with 40 percent of the beneficiaries being women and youth. The programme will allow for a further boost to Guyana’s agriculture sector in the form of support for compliance with food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary standards in the sector.The agreement was signed at the ministry of finance in the presence of representatives of the ministries of agriculture and finance. Senior minister in the office of the president with responsibility for finance and the public service, Dr Ashni Singh, who signed on behalf of government, while thanking the CDF for its support over the years noted that Guyana is proud to be a founding member of the CDF and to have benefited from the Fund’s activities over the years. “As a government, led by His Excellency President Irfaan Ali, we recognize the importance of a strong and competitive non-oil economy, and I want to assure you that we consider agriculture and agricultural products to be a principal pillar of our non-oil economy, and we anticipate that long into the future, agriculture will remain an important source of economic growth and an important contributor to livelihoods, in particular rural and hinterland livelihoods, “ Dr Singh explained to CDF’s CEO. He added that Guyana will long maintain and further enhance its position in relation to the achievement of food security for the Caribbean region more broadly, noting that this project and others like it, GUYANA – CARICOM SIGNS US$18M AGREEMENT have a very important role to play in ensuring the country realises this achievement. Dr Singh also outlined various agricultural projects supported by the CDF over the years, including farmto market roads, highlighting that this project, which will be implemented by the ministry of agriculture under the leadership of minister of agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, also aligns closely with Guyana’s and the CARICOM region’s food security agenda. 9 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 06 OPENING LINES
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