BUSINESSMEN of Kumaka, the business hub of the Mabaruma sub-region in the North West District of Region One, want the government to help them develop agricultural marketing strategies so they can make Region One the breadbasket of the country.They met with Business Minister Dominic Gaskin on Saturday afternoon at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute’s (NAREI) regional office in the community, and voiced their conviction that the region has enormous potential to provide the country with agricultural crops, including ground provisions, citrus and spices.

David Farnum, a farmer, told the meeting that while the farmers are able to reap crops annually, including seasonal crops, the lack of markets is a major humbug. “People want a marketing system set up”, he told the gathering. I would like Region One to become the breadbasket of Guyana.”

He was upset when he heard persons were importing into the area from the capital city cash crops such as bora. He said the region has rich soil and, in the years gone by, produced loads of crops which were transported to the city via ferry. He said the region needs to market its agricultural potential.

His sentiments were echoed by other residents, including Victor O’Selmo, another farmer, who said the communities in the sub-region have depended on farming for years. O’Selmo noted that while the farming public can benefit from markets, there is need for a cooperative banking system to assist the farmers in the region.

Other persons spoke of the need for improvements in the transportation sector, primarily by water. The Business Minister was told that persons would privately hire vessels to ferry their cargo into the region, and businessman Malcolm Chan-a-Sue noted that this service is costly and adds to the increased prices persons pay for goods sold on arrival in the region. Businesswoman Evelyn Melville noted that the private boat operators cannot ferry the volume of goods some business persons would want imported into the region.

Residents also told the Minister of the need for a bank to open its doors in the region, and some pointed to the township status which is planned by the government for Mabaruma. Minster Gaskin told the residents that indeed a bank is an important feature for areas such as Mabaruma.

The Minister, who was on his first visit to the area, travelled by boat through the Coast from Charity in the Pomeroon, and told the residents that his first impression of the community at Kumaka was one of neglect. He said that while the community may not be the first in that regard, there are developmental programmes on the government’s agenda so all areas across the country can benefit.

He said that President David Granger has noted the need for infrastructural development across the country, and, according to him, among those hinted at for advancement is the creation of “proper” transportation networks. To this end, he said, connecting the hinterland with the coast is important. “It will make business easier for investment”, he told the gathering.

Gaskin was accompanied by a team of officials from the Ministry of Business. He informed the meeting that the ministry has received reports that registration forms from the Small Business Bureau (SBB), an entity which falls under the purview of that ministry, were being selectively distributed across the communities there. The ministry clarified that no one individual or political party is involved in the processing of loans, grants, or any other service offered by the agency.

The minister informed residents that the entity keeps a register of the small businesses in Guyana, and involves the registration of businesses that may wish to benefit from any programmes or projects being executed by the agency.

Gaskin cited the importance of the imminent Local Government Elections, and noted that the structure provides for better management of the communities. He said the absence of those elections may have resulted in a broken system across the country at the regional level.

He said persons are free to select any group or individual who they belief is capable of managing the communities. He said that those persons must be held accountable in this regard.