Farmers endorse value of dialogue among value-chain actors
REPRESENTATIVES of cassava and small ruminant farmers countrywide have said that recent value-chain analyses of the two products have helped them to see that solutions to production and marketing issues depend on constant dialogue between all actors in the chain: buyers, financiers and all other input suppliers included.

The endorsement was made at a validation seminar at the end of a six- month appraisal of the two sectors made by the local office of the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The action had been requested by the Government of Guyana under the auspices of the Agriculture Policy Programme (APP) which is being funded under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).

The study had been done by local consultant Selwyn Anthony in close collaboration with local agencies such as the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, the National Agricultural and Extension Institute (NAREI) the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and other value-chain actors such as producer groups and individual cassava and small ruminants farmers, hotels, restaurants and supermarket owners, and even land, water and air- transport providers of agricultural produce.

The consultant had also looked at ways in which funding could be obtained for the targeted cassava and small ruminant farmers to buy inputs and to improve efficiency.

A spokesman for the farmers said that they want to move rapidly to establish the recommended commodity chains dialogue platforms necessary for the interaction of the producers, the buyers and the service providers, including bankers and extension staff.
“We recognise that if you don’t have these dialogue platforms, we will not get the linkages between all the actors in the value chain. We will continue as individuals, each one doing their own thing in their own little corner and nobody getting anywhere,” he said.
He agreed that the way ahead for the farmers included formation of more producer groups, acquiring better market information, improving production practices, and lobbying for policy which would enable exports.
The farmers are looking forward to support from the IICA for the establishment of the proposed dialogue platforms which they hope will be recognised as the national bodies for the two sectors.