THE Kanuku Mountains Community Representative Group Christmas Fair Committee (KMCRG – XmFC) of Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) will hold its annual showcase, of handicrafts, jewellery, cosmetics, natural products, foods and beverages, on Saturday.

It will be the third such event and the venue as on previous occasions would be the Lethem Market Place, Rupununi.
The KMCRG comprises community leaders from 11 Amerindian villages and seven satellite communities in the newly designated Kanuku Mountains Protected Area (KMPA) in Central and South Rupununi.
The members encourage and ensure the participation of community residents in the management of natural resources and social development of their communities.
The first such fair was staged at Lethem in December 2010.
Behi Barzegar, a Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) officer, who is assisting with the preparations, said traditionally preserved foods, therapeutic produce and handicrafts, as well as products targeting broader markets through the application of modern techniques to process indigenous materials would be on show.
The objectives include encouragement and promotion of techniques and skills that help preserve locally available fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat and dairy products, to reduce wastage, promote improved quality; encourage product innovation and stimulate positive attitudes to nutrition, Barzegar disclosed.
Individuals and groups are expected to have on display and for sale a wide range of products from juices, dried and crystallised fruits, fruit leathers, fruit cheeses, jams, marmalades and jellies, achar, pepper sauce, farine and cassava bread, cured and dried meats as well as dairy products.

Available
Hand-made jewellery, ornaments and baskets will be available next to soaps, creams, herbal oils and tinctures.
In keeping with the spirit of merit for effort and excellence, competitions will be stage in each category of exhibits with winners chosen by a panel of judges who will disburse prizes and awards for winning entries.
Winners of the 2010 and 2011 competitions received prizes such as blenders, scales, juicers, pressure pots and jam jars with lids.
Barzegar said the KMCRG Christmas Fair Committee is looking for sponsorship for awards and prizes that would encourage enterprising activities and motivate participants to continue developing their skills and market their products.
She said: “We would be delighted to receive support for the Christmas Fair and its role in promoting the values and traditions, particularly of Amerindian communities in the Rupununi.”
Funds can be put directly into the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) account CIAH 234983 or sent to Behi Barzegar Development Consultant Agri-Processing Food Technology Specialist, Lethem telephone number 674 4071.
Meantime, the KMCRG is in the final stages of preparing to make the 2012 Fair bigger and brighter than previous ones, Barzegar said.