— private market facility to be opened soon
A UNIQUE opportunity for farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers is in the making, thanks to young entrepreneur Madonna Singh, who is establishing a facility downtown Georgetown for this purpose.
Singh, who came up with the idea several months ago, converted her plans into reality and by mid-year, she expects the venture to be in high gear.
The Farmers’ Market will be housed in a building along Lombard Street, close to the minibus parks.
“It’s an indoor facility, there are pallet spaces available inside and outside of the building,” she said. In her plans, she sees the farmers inter-changing selling times, creating an opportunity for many as possible to benefit.
In addition, there is access to sanitary facilities at the location while Singh has made arrangements with a private Security Service to man the facility 24-7.
SAFE AND COMFORTABLE
“It will be a safe, comfortable, clean environment,” she said.
For some time, farmers along the coastland whose produce are sold at the Stabroek and Bourda markets and other similar facilities have complained that they were not obtaining value for money. Some have had to haggle with middlemen who would visit the farming areas to buy their produce and make large profits reselling them.
Singh has reached out to several coastland farmers and they have indicated that her move is a positive one.
For Gopaul, the Farmers’ Market would pave the way for multiple benefits to be realised by farmers. He said that there is an established “tradition” in which farmers sell their produce to middlemen who trade with the vendors at the markets or who themselves retail the goods at high prices.
GOOD MOVE
“If it gets going, the move would be good for the farmers, especially the ones who live far out of town,” Gopaul said.
Gopaul said the location of the market, along Lombard Street on a corner lot close to the minibus parks, would be a plus for the consumers. “A lot of people pass there on a daily basis,” he said. The farmer noted too that the cost for rental at the Farmers’ Market is workable.
Singh plans to charge the farmers a fee of $1000 every 24-hour, and according to Gopaul, this is lower than the cost at the popular markets .He said the vendors at the markets also pay a fee to the Georgetown Municipality. “So, it would work, if she promotes, it would work,” the farmer noted.
Singh said she decided to target the farmers since many of them do not have a place to sell their goods.
“My target audience is exclusively farmers. I am conscious of the fact that farmers don’t have a stable place to sell their produce, therefore forcing them to sell to the middle man for little or nothing,” she told this publication.
She added: “Farmers are the ones taking all the risk and currently have no bargaining power and basically accepts what is being offered to them for their produce. She said the Farmer’s Market will provide a solution to these problems.
DIRECT ACCESS FOR CONSUMERS
It was noted that the consumers will be the ones reaping the benefits from the venture since they would have direct access to the farmers and they will enjoy lower prices and fresher produce, while shopping in a clean and safe environment.
“Consumers will have more options as to where they purchase their produce and will be able to know who they are purchasing from and the quality of produce they are getting,” she said. In addition, suggestions can be made by the public to the farmers about the goods being sold.
Singh said the facility has been prepared for opening and she is engaging farmers to utilise the facility. She has held talks with the National Agricultural Research and Extention Institute (NAREI).
As regards her decision to establish the business, Singh said although it is a risk, she slept on the idea and did a considerable amount of thinking.
“I was a bit scared to take it on but after some thought, I took it. I decided to take the risk because I believe that’s the only way you can progress. Weather you fail or succeed, I thought about all the businesses that can be operated there since it’s a prime commercial location within the city but most of the businesses I thought about required large capital investments,” she said.
“After reading and listening to the plight the farmers’ face every day, I figured this would be an amazing opportunity for them,” she added. Singh reiterated that the farmers are the backbone of Guyana’s agriculture industry.
In addition, Singh said the establishment of the Farmers’ Market could see an increase in farming activities, since it would encourage farmers to cultivate more.
“I would love to see this venture take off because it’s something great for everyone and I will make sure the market is kept at a standard at all times,” the young entrepreneur added.
