$70M rehabilitated Lesbeholden seed processing facility commissioned

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and other officials during the commissioning of the seed processing facility in Lesbeholden

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned the Lesbeholden seed processing facility in Black Bush Polder on the Corentyne Coast in Region Six on Saturday.

A total of $70 million was expended to rehabilitate the facility as well as procure and install a dryer and other critical equipment.

Minister Mustapha, while offering remarks at the event, said that farmers from Black Bush Polder and other cultivation areas in Region Six will now have access to adequate seed paddy.

He also said that after the facility was constructed, it developed some mechanical issues, but no efforts were made to correct those issues from 2015 to 2020.

“There were times when farmers had to travel out of the Region to source seed paddy. With this facility being operable now, those farmers will be able to access quality seed paddy right here in Black Bush Polder. From 2015 to 2020, this project was left at a standstill.

There were all kinds of excuses about what rice farmers were doing at that time and that rice farming was a private business. I’m here to tell you that rice is not a private business - it is the people’s business. This is a very important sector as it contributes significant revenue to this country’s GDP,” he explained.

Minister Mustapha also said that research and investments have significantly improved the production capacity of the Black Bush Polder over the last four years. 

“Over the last four years, we’ve been able to transform this industry from a subsistent industry to one that now earns billions of dollars. This transformation shows clearly that the government has been making the necessary investments to develop and modernise this important industry. Many years ago, this area was the lowest-yielding area, producing just about 2.6 tonnes per hectare.  Now, farmers are producing an average of 6.6 tonnes per hectare. We’ve come a long way, modernising this industry through research and investment,” Minister Mustapha said.

In April 2021, Minister Mustapha visited the area and expressed his disappointment with the facility's dormant and shabby state. The Minister immediately committed to ensuring that the facility would once again become operable.

In addition to the equipment, a drying floor was also constructed to reduce instances of farmers drying paddy on public roadways. Lesbeholden seed paddy facility is one of five such facilities in the country.