–Another 131 shade houses targeted for construction in second half of 2026
Sixty-nine shade houses were constructed during the first half of 2026, consistent with the government’s drive to expand climate-resilient production of high-value crops across Guyana.
The Mid-Year Report 2026 states that the facilities benefitted more than 460 farmers, including 51 women and 240 young people.
This advances President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s directive to prioritise women and youth, with the Ministry of Agriculture targeting at least 35 per cent of them in all national agricultural projects.
The programme also saw more than 27,700 trays of planting materials distributed to over 2,800 farmers during the first six months of the year.
Expansion is expected to continue during the second half of 2026, with another 131 shade houses targeted for construction and an additional 600 acres expected to be cultivated.
More than 37,000 additional trays of planting materials are also expected to be distributed, with over 4,000 farmers targeted to benefit from the interventions.
The investments form part of the government’s wider push to increase high-value crop production while improving the agriculture sector’s resilience to changing weather conditions.
The Mid-Year Report noted that $1.6 billion of the $3.3 billion budgeted for development of the other-crops subsector was spent during the first half of the year. Support included planting materials, technical assistance, shade houses and pest-management interventions. Mid-
The expansion comes against a challenging first half for farmers. The other-crops subsector contracted by an estimated 6.4 per cent, with prolonged and above-normal rainfall waterlogging cultivations, damaging crops, reducing yields and disrupting field access.
Vegetable production declined by 4.2 per cent, while output of spices fell 17.7 per cent and cole crops declined by 19.1 per cent. However, production of root crops, fruits and coconuts expanded by 27.4 per cent, 14.5 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively.
The report warned that anticipated El Niño conditions during the second half of the year could expose crops to heat stress just as producers recover from excessive rainfall.
It identified the national shade-house programme and other climate-resilient cultivation measures as part of the government’s response to both excessive rainfall and dry-season conditions.
The programme is already operating on a much larger national scale. In May, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that approximately 1,000 shade houses were in operation countrywide, supporting production for domestic and regional markets.
The government spent $40.8 billion of the $113.2 billion allocated to agriculture during the first half of 2026, with investments focused on increased production, diversification, technology, climate-smart agriculture and reduced production costs.