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…10 selected for Guyana-Trinidad clash; another 10 to head to India for IPL 2027

Ten farmers from across Guyana have been selected for a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) experience as part of a countrywide promotion by agricultural company UPL Limited aimed at giving back to farmers who have supported its products.
The farmers were selected on Tuesday during a draw held at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) substation at Lesbeholden, Black Bush Polder, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Entries for the promotion were collected from farmers across the country through retailers supplied by Caribbean Chemicals. The coupons were brought together at Black Bush Polder for the selection of the 10 winners.
UPL Country Manager for Guyana and the Caribbean, Deoram Prahalad, said the initiative forms part of the company’s wider community-centred programme and will see the selected farmers attending a CPL match between Guyana and Trinidad.

“This year, we will be taking 10 lucky farmers who are using Gynexa to CPL here in Guyana, where they would witness a game between Guyana and Trinidad. We would also give them accommodation and some gifts during that period of time, where they will spend one night in Georgetown,” Prahalad explained.
The CPL promotion is only one phase of the company’s plans to reward farmers.
Prahalad disclosed that another draw will be held next year to select 10 farmers for a trip to India to attend matches in the 2027 Indian Premier League (IPL). UPL also intends to select another 10 farmers to attend CPL matches in Guyana in 2027.
“So, this is UPL; we are giving back to the farmers who have been supporting us throughout the years,” he said.
Explaining why the company took Tuesday’s draw to Black Bush Polder rather than hosting it in Georgetown, Prahalad said UPL wanted the activity to be held among the farming communities it serves.
In 2024, the company took 12 farmers from Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname to India, with the draw for that initiative held in Region Five. This time, UPL decided to move the activity to Region Six.
“It doesn’t make sense to do these draws in Georgetown. It has to come to where farming is actually happening. And in Black Bush, we have been having a lot of support from the farmers,” Prahalad said.
He added that farmers in the area have been using the company’s products and reporting positive results.
However, he stressed that Tuesday’s promotion was not restricted to Black Bush Polder or Region Six.
“What we did is that these boxes, or this promotion, is countrywide to all the retailers where Caribbean Chemicals distribute their products. So, what we have done is that we have collected the coupons that were deposited by the farmers in all the rice-growing and agricultural regions,” he explained.
The UPL official said the initiative reflects the company’s broader policy of involving its partners and customers in major sporting and other international events.
UPL previously took partners from around the world to the last two FIFA World Cups, and Prahalad said cricket was a natural choice for its programme in Guyana.
“Guyana being a country with its base and the national sport being cricket, we thought it best to take some of the farmers to get them involved and let them look at the cricket, giving back to the community,” he said.
UPL Limited, formerly United Phosphorus Limited, is an India-based multinational company headquartered in Mumbai. It manufactures and markets agrochemicals and other agriculture-related products and operates in more than 130 countries.
Apart from its promotional activities, Prahalad said UPL is also a stakeholder in the crop insurance programme for rice farmers in Guyana.
He said the initiative, which began in 2025, provides participating rice farmers with insurance coverage at no cost to them and is intended to protect against risks associated with excess or deficient rainfall.
According to Prahalad, UPL partnered with Philip Morris International and the Government of Guyana, through the Guyana Rice Development Board and Ministry of Agriculture, to implement the programme.
He said 4433 farmers were covered during the November 2025 crop, with the premiums paid on their behalf.
The programme is continuing, with Prahalad reporting that approximately 4000 farmers have been covered for the current season. (G-4)

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…earns 26 Grade Ones, 1 grade 2

With a memory so sharp that few things in the academic realm seem to escape her, excellence has become almost second nature for young scholar Nitya Narine, whose latest achievement has added yet another accomplishment to an already impressive record. The young Berbice student has earned one of the country’s most outstanding scores, more than 15 seasoned journalists and camera crew members rushed to capture a moment with the remarkable student, who spoke confidently and candidly about the journey behind her success. This took place at the Marriott Hotel Guyana on Tuesday, during the announcement of the 2026 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination preliminary results by Education Minister Sonia Parag. “I possess an excellent memory,” were among the words that caught the attention of those gathered, offering a glimpse into what has helped set Narine apart from many of her peers. According to the young scholar, however, her latest achievement was not entirely unexpected.
“Thank you so much. First and foremost, before I begin to say anything, I want to thank God because throughout my life, God has been blessing me with my learning abilities, talents and opportunities. But honestly, it wasn’t that surprising because I have been achieving many accomplishments over the years.” Narine’s academic journey has indeed been marked by a series of accomplishments. In 2021, while in Grade Five, she sat the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and earned a place at The Bishops’ High School. She also went on to win the inaugural Guyana Learning Channel Spelling Bee, while consistently excelling in art competitions at school. Given her track record of achievement, Narine said she was not surprised by her latest results and expressed happiness with her performance. With her sights now set on the next chapter, she plans to attend the University of Guyana (UG), where she hopes to pursue law. “The next move, I’m going to attend the University of Guyana. I aspire to pursue law, and that is because I want to help people and I believe I can fight for justice. I possess an excellent memory, so I believe it’s one of the capabilities of being a good lawyer.”

Progressive studying
Narine’s approach to studying was markedly different from the traditional method of waiting until examinations were near before beginning serious preparation. While many students may take the approach of studying intensely in the final years of secondary school, she began preparing from the moment she entered high school.

She described her method as “progressive studying” – paying close attention during lessons, reviewing her work every day and addressing areas she did not understand immediately, rather than allowing gaps in her knowledge to accumulate.
Whenever she encountered difficulties, she said she sought assistance from her teachers or parents, both of whom she credits as important sources of academic support. She also supplemented her preparation with educational videos and past examination papers, gradually building her knowledge and confidence over the years rather than relying on last-minute revision. “So, what I did is progressive studying, which means I didn’t wait until Grade 11 to begin studying, right? So, from since I began high school, every day I paid attention in class. You come home; I reviewed back the work. If I didn’t understand something, I either asked a teacher or asked my parents. My parents are excellent teachers.” Her mother, who is also a teacher and her father, an education officer, played an important role in supporting her academic journey. “My mother is a teacher. My father is an education officer. And they have been my greatest support system. So, whenever I needed help, I usually went to them. Other than that, it’s videos and working past papers, and that’s basically how I studied.” Despite her confidence in her preparation, Narine said she remains humble and grateful to everyone who contributed to her success.
“I’m still very proud of myself. I’m humble. I’m grateful to God, to my parents, to everyone my teachers in school, my lesson teachers. I’m really grateful for everybody who helped me achieve this.”

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As a scout who promised to “do my duty to God and the Queen” of Britain, your Eyewitness is more than a tad concerned about the leadership muddle in old Blighty!! After tutoring us for centuries, the Brits seem to’ve perfected the art of producing Prime Ministers assembled overnight from leftover pieces of a focus group!! Maybe they should consider replacing them with that institution they abolished in everything but name – the Royals!!,
Now your Eyewitness ain’t joking!! Think about it – the British have endured an unremarkable procession of politicos who arrive at 11 Downing Street promising to change the country – only to quickly disappear amid scandals, U-turns, leadership challenges, and the general impression that no one – including themselves!! – quite knows why they’re there!!
There was the wild-haired blond, the austerity Chancellor, the earnest technocrat, the short-lived economic revolutionary, the caretaker, and now the latest model!! Remember them?? No??!! Your Eyewitness longs for the days when the occupant of Downing Street at least had a face John Public could recognise!!
The Monarchy, meanwhile, has been remarkably stable!! The incumbent doesn’t announce a new policy every Tuesday morning – nor appear on television promising that Britain’s gonna “level up” something nobody’s ever heard of!! And he certainly doesn’t resign ‘cause 52 per cent of his colleagues decided he’s become an electoral liability!!
Indeed, the royals already possess several qualifications ordinary Brits consider essential for modern British Governments!! They’re trained to wave, can survive embarrassing family scandals, are comfortable wearing colourful costumes – and have absolutely no compulsion to explain their policies on breakfast television!! Then there’s the added bonus of abolishing elections!! Can you imagine the savings??!!
No endless leadership contests, no party conferences, no focus groups, no opinion polls asking whether the PM looks “sufficiently Prime Ministerial” – and no manifesto promising to spend money the Treasury’s already confessed it doesn’t have!! The King would just appoint a PM he fancies – and get on with the business of being King!! Parliament would continue debating furiously – secure in the knowledge that nobody’s listening!!
And the Monarchy needn’t be entirely hereditary – every five years the royal family could hold internal elections based on who can best speak through clenched jaws!! The Monarch could continue cutting ribbons, inaugurate hospitals and deliver the King’s Speech – while the experts in the Civil Service run the country and tell him what they’re up to!! After all, if Britain’s gonna have BRITISH democracy, it’s gotta have the right people on the job – not the present lot going around a turnstile!!
And while we’re at it, maybe here in ole Mudland we oughta move in the same direction?? Irfaan’s certainly proven he can cut ribbons and govern at the same time!!

…solar
Your Eyewitness has been cautioned to watch his AC usage – since we’ve reached our peak electricity generation!! He knows the Wales Gas-to-Energy plant’s gonna give us a big boost – but he thinks we should convert our – hundreds of thousands! – of private rooftops into miniature power stations!! The Government’s already launched a 5000-home, grid-connected solar initiative allowing households to generate electricity during the day and send surplus power back to GPL for credits on their bills!! That target should be treated as a beginning, not an ambition!!
Like they’d done with house lots, the Government should target 50,000 rooftop-solar homes within five years – while making installation just as easy and affordable with low-interest financing, tax concessions and standardised installation packages!! The rooftop solar programme’s gonna make the grid more resilient, reduce GPL’s daytime load – AND allow households to lower their electricity bills!!
Our future electricity system doesn’t have to be Wales versus solar – but Wales PLUS solar with every suitable Guyanese roof producing a kilowatt!!

…pork-knocking
With all the furrin companies extracting our hundreds of thousands of ounces of gold every year – leaving us with just a bonus and wages – your Eyewitness calls on pork-knockers to retake our national pride!!
“When yuh bin a Kurupung…!!”

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