ESSEQUIBO businessman, Neteram Ramnanan, better known as “Original Juice Man”, has no regrets about heeding the government’s call several years ago to grow more food. 

For starters, he has seen significant economic and other gains since leaving Windsor Castle, where he was born and raised, to venture into the agro-processing business some 34 years ago.

Today, he not only supplies the local market with a wide array of fruit juices, but he now has his sights set on cornering the Caribbean market as well, where he says the demand for local products is overwhelming.
And, wanting to encourage others to take the same leap of faith as he did, Ramnanan is appealling to those frustrated rice farmers out there to strongly think about diversifying into fish farming or some such other venture, since the benefits are immense and guaranteed.
This year, Ramnanan is not only poised to invest close to $65M on expanding his manufacturing operations, but he’s already struck a new deal with with a Trinidadian firm to supply it with over 500 litres of canejuice weekly.
“So, rice and cane farmers,” he said, “you have nothing to lose if you plant fruits; the market is there.”
One reason he is interested in seeing a shift in trends, Ramnanan says, especially among rice farmers, is because of the great demand for raw materials and by-products.
As he observed, “We are still not making economic use of our fruits; and tons of rice husk and straw still go waste… We must, therefore, intensify our efforts to increase the links between industry and our resources.”
Ramnanan is of the firm belief that the Coalition government is in a stronger position to convince rice farmers to diversify.
He is of the opinion that this regime, once it continues to show an interest in agro- processing, and is willing to help those entrepreneurs who are willing to take the risk and diversify, everyone will eventually get in on a piece of the action. “Everyone should get a piece of the pie,” he said.
The established Pomeroon businessman started his business 1982 by manually producing cane-juice and pushing a hand cart on the road for miles.