I wish not to respond but to clarify some inaccuracies in a letter by Archie W. Cordis which was published in the Wednesday October 20, 2010 edition of Stabroek News. Indeed several agencies has been tasked with coordinating and executing of the Grow More Food campaign which is evident during the numerous consultations and interactions where farmers and residents benefitted from seeds, planting materials and other technical support.
Farmers have always been price takers, but times have changed and farmers are now adequately compensated for their hard labour. Mr. Cordis must be the only farmer complaining about the lucrative prices farmers are getting for their produce but yet affordable to consumers, especially housewives to whom Cordis made mention. As a farmer, I am sure Cordis should have understood the fluctuations of prices on the market or he deliberately sought to neglect this fact and resort to politicking.
However, I would agree that the success of the campaign must be determined by consumers, especially housewives whom are currently satisfied with the current prices as there is an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables on the market. There must always be a balance between the price that farmers receive and what consumers have to pay and the Grow More Food campaign has done just that; maintain a balance.
With that in mind, I strongly believe that the Grow More Food campaign has been efficiently executed by the Ministry of Agriculture spearheaded by Minister Robert Persaud. The results of which was the recent recognition of Guyana by the FAO of the United Nations as achieving one of the Millennium Development Goals and branded a food secure country. This speaks volume of our vibrant agriculture sector and I am proud as a farmer to part of this effort.
I would therefore advise Mr. Cordis to be more updated on the facts of the Grow More Food campaign and other developments within the agriculture sector rather than discredit a well executed campaign aimed at improving the lives of all Guyanese