President Bharrat Jagdeo met with several members of the Guyana Arts and Craft Producers Association Thursday at the Office of the President when he promised to convene a meeting next month at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) to seek solutions to the constraints facing the Association’s members.
The meeting will bring together the arts and craft producers with the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST), commercial bank officers and other agencies.

…promises meeting next month to find solutions to their constraints

President Bharrat Jagdeo meets with several members of the Guyana Arts & Craft Producers Association at the Office of the President.

The gathering Thursday was to establish the way forward for the arts and craft industry with the producers laying out their plans for the future, and the Head of State, along with the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad, and Geoff DaSilva, Chief Executive Officer of GO-INVEST, who were also present, identifying what assistance Government can render.

After the meeting, Richard Young, President of the Association, explained that the quality of products being made in Guyana is very high.

“We are export-ready. The quality of products has reached a level where it’s inviting to the buyers, particularly in the Caribbean,” Young stated.

Also, Young noted that his Association was looking at attending a world trade fair in Germany “because they are very sensitive to hand-made products”, such as Guyanese work.

The Association was commissioned on March 17, 2008, by Minister Prashad. Its mission is to provide guidance for the development of the arts and craft industry in Guyana.

At the commissioning, several programmes were identified for implementation to provide support mechanisms within the short to medium-term to propel growth and development of the Association and the sector in general. These included:

* The establishment of a National Inter-Agency Committee to guide the work of the Association;

* The compilation of a policy strategy document for the craft sector;

* The eight sub-sectors identified (painting, sculpture, leather, ceramics and pottery; fabric design, straw and basketry; wood and bamboo; hand-made jewelry/home décor) will be developed into clusters;

* Development of networks among single-market economies and agencies/institutions, among others;

* Standards to be drafted for the arts and crafts sector;

* Assistance to be given in production of quality products; and

* Assistance to be given in conducting market assessment for products. (GINA)