Georgetown : A Guyana ministerial mission was in Ontario, Canada to learn from the experiences of the highly successful Ontario dairy industry. The Guyana delegation, led by Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, was focused primarily on leveraging Ontario’s significant knowledge and experience in the dairy industry. Guyana is preparing to establish a local dairy plant operation that will supply its dairy needs in part.
The mission was organised by the High Commission of Canada and included a consortium of Government, regional agencies and private sector leaders. All are critical players in the development of a dairy production facility in Guyana.
Minister Ramsammy and team were welcomed by Ontario dairy leaders many of whom had met with the Minister on the Margins of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture October 2013. The Guyana team visited Grasshill Dairy Farms; Summitholm farm; Caledon Jersey; Kawartha dairy; Mariposa dairy; Maryland Farms; Eastgen and Via Pax ET Led.
The Guyana Delegation was hosted by the Ontario Ministry for Agriculture Farm and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and Kawartha Lakes Economic Development office. The high level delegation was exposed to the full range of Canadian technologies including: genetics; dairy cattle traceability; precision dairy management; feed and forage and varying dairy farm operations. These technologies will be instrumental as Guyana establishes a large scale dairy operation.
Ontario dairy industry operations feature the best in class operations. There are over 4000 dairy farm operations in rural Ontario that boast both environmentally sustainable techniques and precision management technologies for improved efficiency.
During the visit, Minister Ramsammy took the opportunity to meet with members of the Ontario dairy community, regulatory associations and the University of Trent. Discussions were held on broadening technical exchange and educational programs between Ontario and Canada. The Guyana delegation also included top brass of the Guyana Livestock Development Dr. Dindyal Permaul and Dr. Dwight Waldron, head of IICA Guyana Mr. Wilmot Garnett and Guyana’s Private sector dairy leader Sterling Products represented by Quality Assurance Manager, Mr. Anthony Ross. Canadian private sector company Amanitas Group that is currently partnering with Guyanese company D&S Construction, joined the mission as the company explores opportunities for investment in Guyana.
Minister Ramsammy and the Guyana delegation also met with Canadian education leads including Dr. Arnold Doobay and Professor Suresh Narine. Discussions were held to explore the opportunities for skills transfer, vertical integration and leverage the expertise of diverse stakeholders towards the development of a viable Guyanese dairy plant facility.
Minister Ramsammy noted that Guyana could learn much from the Ontario dairy experience as the country prepares to reduce its dependence on dairy imports. In discussing Guyana’s need to set up a dairy plant, Minister Ramsammy pointed out that the Caribbean’s food import bill is $5 billion per year, and this situation provides an opportunity for Guyana to reclaim its role as the breadbasket of the Caribbean whilst also contributing to a reduced regional food import reliance.
In discussions with Trent and Guelph Universities, Minister Ramsammy called for the establishment of a consortium among the Guyana Ministry of Agriculture, Trent University, the High Commission of Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Farm and Rural Affairs, University of Guelph, IICA, and Grasshill farms. This partnership would help Guyana set up a National Soil Laboratory that would offer support between the agriculture and extractive sectors.
The establishing a multi-sectoral grouping would allow for Guyana to influence the expertise of the partners and will facilitate access to laboratory funding through the Export Development Bank of Canada and private investors.
(Courtesy of Canadian High Commission)
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