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April 12 ,2021

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Kaieteur News Oil will come and go. But if a country truly intends to capitalize on this resource in the long term, its best bet would be to invest its earnings from the new resource, in the nation’s traditional agriculture sector.
This is according to Dr. Terrence Blackman, Associate Professor of Mathematics at the Medgar Evers College, New York, USA during a recent interview with Kaieteur Radio’s, Guyana’s Oil and You moderator, Kiana Wilburg.
She was at the time enquiring into Professor Blackman’s views on the matter of diversification of the country’s earnings base using its newfound oil and gas wealth.

Associate Professor, Terrence Blackman

Professor Blackman noted, that while he thinks agriculture is an important Sector, it has not always been an appealing prospect for very many people in the country.
Be that as it may, the US-based Guyanese said it must be recognized that the food import bill for the region alone, represents an enormous opportunity for the country. Professor Blackman recalled that at the time he addressed his mind to the matter of Guyana’s spending of its oil resources, the regional food import bill was some US$4B.
He posited that were Guyana to tap into just 10 percent of that, it would mean earning some US$400M annually and that this, “is the opportunity we have as a nation at this moment; we have this money but this money is not going to last.”
Professor Blackman qualified his position by underscoring that when the oil operators in the Stabroek Block have depleted the reserves, it would not be replenished.
“Once they take the oil, we can’t replace it,” he said, then following by explaining that, “it’s taken millions of years for this oil to be there so once you use it, that’s it; now you have these pieces of paper (money) in a federal reserve bank.”
With this in mind, Professor Blackman suggested, “the bet we have to make is on agriculture and if we can do agriculture right, then I think we can really, we can beat the resource curse.”
Further cementing his argument and calling for a clear plan to be developed with regards to how the country intends to spend its oil and gas earnings, Professor Blackman underscored the size of the nation’s arable land that is available for agriculture, in addition to the fact that, “we are not a very densely populated place.”
He also pointed to questions of climate change and renewable energy that have to be factored into any long term spending plan to be implemented.
Underscoring the world’s shift towards cleaner energy sources, he posited “We are at this moment where it’s tipping; we have to take this money and use it as an opportunity to pivot to something else.”
According to Professor Blackman, any decision taken for pivoting to something else will ultimately have to be lived with by the Guyanese populace but, “for me I see agriculture as the way.”

Replies sorted oldest to newest

@Prashad posted:

This man smart bad. Ethiopia bet on agriculture. You fellas make sure that you send them some food the next time the drought hit.

You are being sarcastic because he is Blackman by name and nature.

Take a look at Texas where you reside. One out of every seven Texans works in agriculture related jobs. Even you are counted since you peeled Aloo in the Army. Cattle, dairy products and cotton are exported across the  other states and the world.

Guyana can become the bread basket of the world if the GOG invest the oil money into agriculture, except sugar cane.

Mitwah
Agriculture has key role in Govt’s diversification plan

Agriculture has key role in Govt’s diversification plan

(Guyana Times)

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh has said that Government is transforming Guyana into a highly-diversified economy, and agriculture is one of the key areas of focus in meeting this goal.

During a recent interview with DPI, the Finance Minister said many investors have signalled their interest in doing business here and he is confident that some of these ventures will benefit farmers. He cited the establishment of hotels, which would need fresh meats and produce, supplied on a large scale.
“Here again you have this vast amount of economic activity that is multiplying itself over and over in the economy. So, it’s not just that you are building a hotel and a thousand people staying there, you are literally creating jobs for the Guyanese people and by doing this, they are going to be spending that money, the visitors themselves will be spending money in the economy,” Dr Singh said.
He added that it is important to look at the wider, longer-term benefits from investments like hotels as they create employment across several sectors.
“Do not make the mistake to think the construction of a hotel only means job in tourism. These people have to eat, the food comes from the farmers and so the more international visitors we have in Guyana, the better our market vendors will do, the better our agricultural wholesalers will do, the better the transport sector will do, the people who load up the trucks to sell their fruits and vegetables. The more demand there is for foods in restaurants the more these people do business.”
Further, the Minister pointed out that Government has found that the cost of energy is the single biggest hurdle to competitive agro-processing and the manufacturing sector. As such, it would continue to take steps to expand and transform the energy grid to provide cheap and reliable electricity. He noted that prior to 2015, the then PPP/C Government had taken a robust approach to this matter and it had taken steps to start harnessing hydroelectricity through the Amaila Falls. However, the coalition Government blocked this project, stymieing development.
“We intend to move swiftly to bring down the cost of energy and so you would have been hearing about the gas-to-shore project which is being aggressively pursued. Once the gas-to-shore project happens, you are going to see, first of all, our capacity to generate electricity more affordably significantly ramped up; we will be investing heavily in electricity generation as well to ensure that current and future demand of the country will be met through an affordable source.”
Once this is achieved, the Finance Minister said, the agro-processing sector will take off as it will become more affordable, profitable and competitive internationally.

R
Last edited by Django
@Mitwah posted:

You were doing OK for a while. Now you are being a Kunt.

No more than you are.  Get off the drugs bukko. You are trying to divert the conversation.  That's what you do when you are beaten.

R
Last edited by Ramakant-P
@Ramakant-P posted:

No more than you are.  Get off the drugs bukko. You are trying to divert the conversation.  That's what you do when you are beaten.

I was never beaten. At least not by a Kunt like you. Jackass, the discussion is about Agriculture. Tell us how can it be sustained without Energy, which is a known crisis in Guyana? Get out from your Basement apartment in Brampton and come to Black Bush Polder stop posting shit from your handlers at Freedumb House.

Mitwah
Last edited by Mitwah

Ashni,

Foreign owned hotels buy their food in bulk from Florida and have it shipped. Everything is shipped from wharehouses in Florida, furniture and all. Local fruits seldom served in big hotel chains. One will find pineapples, watermelon, cantelope, apples and graves ripened in storage. And spray with a wax to look appealing.

And any name brand hotel with Guynaese ownership has to purchase from their listed vendors.

The diaspora has the purchasing potential. Suh, Ashni yuh should be gearing up on transport, like now. Doan worry bout gas to shore, probably never happens wid Jagdeo controlling that development. Think of Skeldon.

S
@Mitwah posted:

You are being sarcastic because he is Blackman by name and nature.

Take a look at Texas where you reside. One out of every seven Texans works in agriculture related jobs. Even you are counted since you peeled Aloo in the Army. Cattle, dairy products and cotton are exported across the  other states and the world.

Guyana can become the bread basket of the world if the GOG invest the oil money into agriculture, except sugar cane.

Mits you ever see the size of those Texas farms and the small number of people working on those farms. Guyana don't have the land mass, level of technology, quantity of soil or supply of cheap Latin illegal labor to keep those farms working. Let him try that on a Guyanese. You will hear ' That black man who name blackman a sit a America University wearing fancy shoes and tie want broke me back here with hard work in Guyana, Me want fo go America like him'

Prashad
Last edited by Prashad
@Mitwah posted:

I was never beaten. At least not by a Kunt like you. Jackass, the discussion is about Agriculture. Tell us how can it be sustained without Energy, which is a known crisis in Guyana? Get out from your Basement apartment in Brampton and come to Black Bush Polder stop posting shit from your handlers at Freedumb House.

Now, who is posting shit?  You get riled up when you are beaten. You used depleted words and throw tantrums all the time. The discussion is about agriculture. Show me where you posted anything about agriculture

What the heck is this? Get out from your Basement apartment in Brampton and come to Black Bush Polder stop posting shit from your handlers at Freedumb House.

R
@Mitwah posted:

You are being sarcastic because he is Blackman by name and nature.

Take a look at Texas where you reside. One out of every seven Texans works in agriculture related jobs. Even you are counted since you peeled Aloo in the Army. Cattle, dairy products and cotton are exported across the  other states and the world.

Guyana can become the bread basket of the world if the GOG invest the oil money into agriculture, except sugar cane.

I went to school with Dr. Blackman in Guyana and he's intelligent and well spoken. His doctorate is real.

GTAngler

@Ramakant-P, look at the exploitation under your PPP's watch.

Region One family evicted by miner from area they farmed since 2004

-help sought from ministry

Keith Smith, second from left, and his family.

A Region 1(Barima-Waini) family is pleading with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to intervene after their cottage and crops and fruit trees were demolished by a gold miner who has laid claim to the area.

“We have lived here since 2004 and my family before that. It is not a big area we were on; it is like a Georgetown house lot but we plant it up with fruit trees and crops we need to eat; mangoes, pears (avocado), whitie, peach, cashews, lemons, lime…then they came and said it had gold, and before we could blink the excavator start destroy everything,” Ianna villager Keith Smith lamented to Stabroek News via the phone of a shop owner on Saturday.

Source:

Mitwah
@Prashad posted:

This man smart bad. Ethiopia bet on agriculture. You fellas make sure that you send them some food the next time the drought hit.

Prash, we, like the Ethiopians, still have to eat! Right here in this forum, I posted we should concentrate.on agriculture, thinking of.the oil as a.windfall! We.neither. found it, produce nor market it.and are subject.to.the leavings of those who do! Do we need a Professor of.Maths to tell us this?

Who can predict droughts? Jagdeo?

FM
Last edited by Former Member
@Prashad posted:

This man smart bad. Ethiopia bet on agriculture. You fellas make sure that you send them some food the next time the drought hit.

I know it's hard but try to repress your ignorance. Guyana was once the breadbasket of the Caribbean. We don't face the same potential problems as Ethiopia.

GTAngler
@Mitwah posted:

@Ramakant-P, look at the exploitation under your PPP's watch.

Region One family evicted by miner from area they farmed since 2004

-help sought from ministry

Keith Smith, second from left, and his family.

A Region 1(Barima-Waini) family is pleading with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to intervene after their cottage and crops and fruit trees were demolished by a gold miner who has laid claim to the area.

“We have lived here since 2004 and my family before that. It is not a big area we were on; it is like a Georgetown house lot but we plant it up with fruit trees and crops we need to eat; mangoes, pears (avocado), whitie, peach, cashews, lemons, lime…then they came and said it had gold, and before we could blink the excavator start destroy everything,” Ianna villager Keith Smith lamented to Stabroek News via the phone of a shop owner on Saturday.

Source:

Rama, what is your PPP doing to protect the poor people from those who are exploiting the wealth of their ancestral land?

Mitwah
@Mitwah posted:

@Ramakant-P, look at the exploitation under your PPP's watch.

Region One family evicted by miner from area they farmed since 2004

-help sought from ministry

Keith Smith, second from left, and his family.

A Region 1(Barima-Waini) family is pleading with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to intervene after their cottage and crops and fruit trees were demolished by a gold miner who has laid claim to the area.

“We have lived here since 2004 and my family before that. It is not a big area we were on; it is like a Georgetown house lot but we plant it up with fruit trees and crops we need to eat; mangoes, pears (avocado), whitie, peach, cashews, lemons, lime…then they came and said it had gold, and before we could blink the excavator start destroy everything,” Ianna villager Keith Smith lamented to Stabroek News via the phone of a shop owner on Saturday.

Source:

@Mitwah posted:

@Ramakant-P, look at the exploitation under your PPP's watch.

Region One family evicted by miner from area they farmed since 2004

-help sought from ministry

Keith Smith, second from left, and his family.

A Region 1(Barima-Waini) family is pleading with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to intervene after their cottage and crops and fruit trees were demolished by a gold miner who has laid claim to the area.

“We have lived here since 2004 and my family before that. It is not a big area we were on; it is like a Georgetown house lot but we plant it up with fruit trees and crops we need to eat; mangoes, pears (avocado), whitie, peach, cashews, lemons, lime…then they came and said it had gold, and before we could blink the excavator start destroy everything,” Ianna villager Keith Smith lamented to Stabroek News via the phone of a shop owner on Saturday.

Source:

Whoever is that gold miner should be arrested and given a public wiping in Georgetown.

Prashad
@seignet posted:

Ashni,

Foreign owned hotels buy their food in bulk from Florida and have it shipped. Everything is shipped from wharehouses in Florida, furniture and all. Local fruits seldom served in big hotel chains. One will find pineapples, watermelon, cantelope, apples and graves ripened in storage. And spray with a wax to look appealing.

And any name brand hotel with Guynaese ownership has to purchase from their listed vendors.

The diaspora has the purchasing potential. Suh, Ashni yuh should be gearing up on transport, like now. Doan worry bout gas to shore, probably never happens wid Jagdeo controlling that development. Think of Skeldon.

Those Florida farmers are buying millions of dollars of equipment to work on their farms so that they do not have to hire farm labour.

Prashad
@Prashad posted:

Whoever is that gold miner should be arrested and given a public wiping in Georgetown.

Is this "wiping" after a dump?

The law is (In Canada, don't know if the same elsewhere) the land belongs to the owner but not what's under it. If it is somehow proven there are precious metals..gold, oil etc in the ground, the government would offer over market price for the land, to tempt the owner to sell without much complaints.

This family should be compensated even if it wasn't their property. At least find them a proper place to live.

cain
Last edited by cain
@Prashad posted:

Whoever is that gold miner should be arrested and given a public wiping in Georgetown.

Region One has a government. They should know something about the situation. The Gold miner must have had a license to operate or else he cannot have done that.

R
@cain posted:

Is this "wiping" after a dump?

The law is (In Canada, don't know if the same elsewhere) the land belongs to the owner but not what's under it. If it is somehow proven there are precious metals..gold, oil etc in the ground, the government would offer over market price for the land, to tempt the owner to sell without much complaints.

This family should be compensated even if it wasn't their property. At least find them a proper place to live.

I was just wondering the same. As dem chaps here does seh, chupidness nah gat cure.

GTAngler
@GTAngler posted:

I know it's hard but try to repress your ignorance. Guyana was once the breadbasket of the Caribbean. We don't face the same potential problems as Ethiopia.

No? Drought is under your portfolio, huh? You.dumb fk!

FM
@Ramakant-P posted:

Region One has a government. They should know something about the situation. The Gold miner must have had a license to operate or else he cannot have done that.

He can't just walk in and evict people he knew were living there for.some time, if even he owned the land! There are procedures he.must follow! Amerindians are Guyanese citizens, too! Shuman, where the fk.are.you?

FM
@Former Member posted:

He can't just walk in and evict people he knew were living there for.some time, if even he owned the land! There are procedures he.must follow! Amerindians are Guyanese citizens, too! Shuman, where the fk.are.you?

Shuman is only visible at election time.

FM
@Former Member posted:

No? Drought is under your portfolio, huh? You.dumb fk!

What the hell is wrong with you man? You are one grouchy ole rass every dam day, cussing out everybody. This fkin place must really need your shit to keep it going...and that is really fkin sad.

cain
Last edited by cain
@cain posted:

What the hell is wrong with you man? You are one grouchy ole rass every dam day, cussing out everybody. This fkin place must really need your shit to keep it going...and that is really fkin sad.

YOU piss me off, cain, you fraud!

FM
@Django posted:

Shallyv ,ease up with the cussing ,I know you can avoid such.

Okay, jango! But first prove me fing or fk is in any dictionary and not in your vivid imagination!

But OK, I'll desist!

FM
@cain posted:

What the hell is wrong with you man? You are one grouchy ole rass every dam day, cussing out everybody. This fkin place must really need your shit to keep it going...and that is really fkin sad.

Such polite words he uses, this fraud!

FM
@Former Member posted:

No? Drought is under your portfolio, huh? You.dumb fk!

Maybe if your father had stuck around he might have seen that you were educated past lil abc. I am not going to suggest you do any research because you won't know what you're reading.

GTAngler
@Django posted:

Shallyv ,ease up with the cussing ,I know you can avoid such.

Leave him/her alone. By now everyone knows "it" is incapable of anything but obscenities. Product of limited education and questionable upbringing. No class and most comfortable in the gutter.

GTAngler
@Former Member posted:

YOU piss me off, cain, you fraud!

HAHAAAAAA fraud!  You are the biggest one yet coming here and cussing up people about their ethnicity then pissed off because other social media disallow you to post your drivel on their sites. Looks good on you..FRAUDMEISTER.

cain

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