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CARIBVISTA | IAGRO SAT CARIBBEAN
AGRICULTURE FEASIBILITY STUDY // GUYANA

Real costs. Real yields. Real research.
Guyana-specific crop economics.

A feasibility study for activating Guyana's 5.8 million hectares of idle grassland. NAREI partnership, GuySuCo restructuring opportunity, rice diversification, and Dutch Disease mitigation through food production.

Pilot CAPEX (500 ha)
$4.8M
Coastal plain, Regions 3/5/6
10-Year IRR
16.5%
Pilot breakeven: mid-Year 3
Revenue at Scale
$22M
5,000 ha full deployment (Year 5)
Jobs Created
15,000
Coastal + Rupununi combined
Dutch Disease imperative. Guyana's GDP grew 62% in 2022 from oil revenue. Currency appreciation and labour migration threaten agriculture — GuySuCo sugar estates are closing. NAREI and the Ministry of Agriculture identify diversification as a national priority. This study provides the economic case for activating idle land with satellite-guided precision farming.
FAO YIELD DATANAREI PARTNERSHIPGUYSUCO LAND BANKCARICOM TRADE DATAEU-CARIFORUM EPA
SECTION 1

Crop Strategy: 60% Food Security, 40% Export

Feed the nation first, then export surplus. Guyana's existing rice infrastructure provides a strong base — diversification adds value and reduces monoculture risk. All yields from FAO Caribbean/LAC benchmarks.

60% Edible — rice, roots, vegetables, greens
40% Export — coconut, ginger, turmeric, hearts of palm
EDIBLE CROPS (60% OF ACREAGE)
Rice (improved varieties)
5-8 t/ha
$3,000-5,500/ha
2/yr
Cassava
15-25 t/ha
$5,000-9,000/ha
1/yr
Sweet Potatoes
12-20 t/ha
$6,000-10,000/ha
1.5-2/yr
Plantains
15-30 t/ha
$7,500-15,000/ha
Year-round
Tomatoes
25-40 t/ha
$24,000-40,000/ha
2-3/yr
Bora (long beans)
8-15 t/ha
$10,000-18,000/ha
3/yr
Pak Choi / Callaloo
15-25 t/ha
$18,000-35,000/ha
6-8/yr
Peppers (wiri wiri)
12-20 t/ha
$15,000-30,000/ha
2/yr
EXPORT / HIGH-VALUE CROPS (40% OF ACREAGE)
Coconut (copra + water)
$8,000-20,000
6,000-10,000 nuts/ha — Growing global demand for coconut water
Ginger
$25,000-55,000
20-35 t/ha — Surging wellness demand
Turmeric
$22,000-40,000
25-30 t/ha — EU duty-free access
Hearts of Palm
$30,000-60,000
3-5 t/ha — Premium export, 18-24mo start
Passion Fruit
$25,000-50,000
15-25 t/ha — Caribbean + EU market
GUYSUCO RESTRUCTURING OPPORTUNITY
Closed sugar estates provide ready-made infrastructure
GuySuCo closed several estates (Wales, Rose Hall, Skeldon downsized) since 2017. These estates have existing irrigation, roads, and worker housing — dramatically reducing the cost of activation compared to virgin grassland. The Commission of Inquiry into the Sugar Industry recommended diversification into high-value crops using existing estate infrastructure.
Source: Commission of Inquiry into the Sugar Industry of Guyana (2016)
SECTION 2

Two-Zone Strategy: Coast + Rupununi

ZONE 1: COASTAL PLAIN (R2-R6)
Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Existing infrastructure. Rice paddies, sugar estate road networks, irrigation canals. Home to 90% of Guyana's population and agricultural activity. Focus: rice diversification, vegetables, root crops, export spices.

Pilot zone: 500 ha across Regions 3/5/6 using former GuySuCo estate land.
ZONE 2: RUPUNUNI SAVANNAHS (R9)
Region 9 — 2.55M ha grassland
Massive scale potential. Natural savannahs suitable for cattle ranching intensification and large-scale grain production. Indigenous communities present — participatory approach required. Low infrastructure = higher startup costs.

Phase 3+: 2,000-5,000 ha with community cooperatives and REDD+ carbon offsets.
Flooding
HIGH
May-Jul — 30%/yr probability — 20-40% crop value
Raised beds, improved drainage canals, flood-tolerant rice varieties (NAREI BR-444).
Drought
MEDIUM
Sep-Nov — 20%/yr probability — Yield reduction 20-30%
Drip irrigation, koker system maintenance, rainwater harvesting on coastal belt.
Dutch Disease
HIGH
Ongoing — HIGH probability — Labour + cost inflation
Technology reduces labour intensity. Mechanisation. Premium export crops offset cost increases.
Market Access
MEDIUM
Year-round — 25%/yr probability — Price volatility 15-25%
CARICOM preferential access, EU-CARIFORUM EPA, diversified crop mix, value-added processing.
THE TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGE

Satellite Monitoring for Guyana's Scale

At 37.8 million hectares, Guyana cannot be monitored by ground teams alone. IAGRO SAT provides wall-to-wall satellite coverage at a fraction of traditional costs — critical for Dutch Disease era efficiency.

Rice Paddy Monitoring
SAR (Sentinel-1) tracks flooding cycles for rice. NDVI monitors growth stages. Yield prediction 6 weeks pre-harvest.
Flood Early Warning
Radar detects surface water expansion before it reaches fields. Critical for coastal plain below sea level.
Deforestation Monitoring
Monthly change detection for REDD+ compliance. Tree cover loss flagged automatically. Critical for Rupununi expansion.
Sugar Estate Transition
Track land use change as GuySuCo estates transition to diversified crops. Before/after evidence for CDB reporting.
Pest & Disease Detection
Spectral signatures detect Black Sigatoka in plantains, blast in rice, weeks before visual symptoms.
Carbon MRV
REDD+ monitoring for Rupununi. Verify carbon sequestration from reforestation and improved grassland management.
COST COMPARISON
STANDALONE PRECISION AG
$250+/ha/yr
Drones, sensors, software, analysts
→
IAGRO SAT SHARED PLATFORM
$12-25/ha/yr
Lower per-ha cost at Guyana's scale.
CARIBVISTA | IAGRO SAT CARIBBEAN // FEBRUARY 2026
© 2026 IAGRO SAT Caribbean. All rights reserved.
Sources: FAO, NAREI, GuySuCo, IDB, CARICOM, Caribbean Export
CaribVista Land Trust is a proposed entity — not yet incorporated.
CONFIDENTIAL — For named recipients only. Do not redistribute.