according to Junior Minister of Agriculture
A company from India has expressed an interest in investing in palm oil and citrus at Akawini, an Amerindian community in the Lower Pomeroon area, according to Junior Minister of Agriculture, Alli Baksh.Baksh alerted farmers at Siriki, Lower Pomeroon, that discussions are currently underway with the company. Some 30,000 acres of virgin land is being scrutinized for the cultivation of palm oil, citrus and other non-traditional crops.The junior Agriculture Minister reasoned that the investment will be an economic venture, especially since it is geared at benefiting farmers financially and also by opening exporting markets, of palm oil.Baksh explained that the intended project is expected to garner direct markets and as such farmers will be encouraged to plant and produce more.He added that potential exists in the Pomeroon with the discovery of numerous areas of virgin land being developed at Siriki and Warapana, in the Upper Pomeroon area.Baksh notes that the government is developing another 5,500 acres of virgin fertile land aback of Aurora/Rivers town to foster agriculture development on the Coast.“Government is also spending millions of dollars to empolder farms in the Lower and Upper Pomeroon so that crops can be protected from flooding during extreme rainfall.” |