THE Agriculture Ministry has mandated its agencies such as the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC), the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) to work in partnership towards the processing and packaging of products that are usually imported from foreign countries.

In a recent interview, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy was asked whether Guyana has the capacity to package products like plantain chips, which is currently being imported from Trinidad, and whether anything can be done to restrict such products from entering the country.
The minister responded that Guyana is part of an international partnership and trade agreements would not allow it to ban those products from entering the country.
However, he said that Guyana does have the capacity to produce products like plantain chips, but much will have to be invested in processes such as packaging and preservatives. He added that the country needs to ensure that it protects local industry.
“Guyana must not believe that we can give to our citizens substandard products and just because it’s Guyanese that we’re going to eat it,” he said.

SHELF LIFE
In that context, Dr. Ramsammy said that the processes undertaken to produce and package the products must be examined. For instance, he pointed to the long shelf life of imported plantain chips, while the locally produced product does not because it is not hermetically sealed.
He related that he has instructed the New GMC, GSA and NAREI to start working on this and stressed that they have to be a catalyst for entrepreneurs.
“I’ve asked them to start doing this on a small scale, to bring in the right equipment and do it right, and I also asked them to engage marketing people…we need people with different skills to come in and to create the labels and make them attractive,” he stated.
The minister emphasised that if those institutions take the lead, then others will follow. He further added that they need to work closely with individual investors who are willing to enter this arena.
He pointed out that currently the Agriculture Ministry is engaging local agro-processors and helping them to have better labelled and packaged products.
He also stated that it is important to ensure that products produced in Guyana not only look as good as or even better than the imported products, but must be  cheaper as well, so that it would be competitive on the market.