MINISTER of Business, Dominic Gaskin, on Friday called for more emphasis to be placed on CODEX standards, a set of guidelines that can improve the quality of products and drive the need to do business.
The minister was at the time addressing stakeholders at the closing ceremony of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS workshop, themed “Strengthening the function of National CODEX structure in Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia and Suriname.”
The project was coordinated by Chile CODEX Coordinating Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (CCLAC) with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Chilean Food Safety and Quality Agency (ACHIPIA) and the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The event was held at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.
The goal of the project is to strengthen CODEX functioning at the national level of participating states.
Among its objectives were to raise awareness of the CODEX importance to national authorities and stakeholders and to improve knowledge and structure to effectively participate in CODEX.

According to Minister Gaskin, Guyana’s regulatory and trade-facilitation agencies must have among their key performance indicators, some measure of the quantity and quality of their outputs as facilitators of business.
“Standards can improve the quality of products by specifying certain requirements which have to be met to sell or export it. Harmonised standards can create a level playing field in which goods and services can be traded internationally with a certain degree of confidence and consistency.
“In other words, there must be a measure of many approvals of certificates issued for the importation and exportation of products.”
Also speaking at the event was Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, who said the CODEX workshop is a revival of the local project, which had for years fallen by the wayside.
In 2014, the programme was resuscitated and has been receiving much support from government through the Agriculture Ministry.
According to him, CODEX addresses the collection of internationally recognised standards codes and practices, guidelines and recommendations for food and food production.

IMPETUS
Holder said the workshop has acted as an impetus to ensure that quality food and safe food are available for consumption in the country.
He reminded participants that the Agriculture Ministry plays a significant role in the growth and development of Guyana and government is mandated to ensure that the country is food-secure.
“The ministry has embarked on a mechanism to ensure food security, including the implementation of its food and nutrition strategy along with the continued measures to be taken to ensure that exports and trade mechanisms are intact,” Minister Holder said.
Minister Holder said the National Codex Committee has not been functioning effectively, but government was able to develop a multisectoral approach to ensure that all key stakeholders play a meaningful role in food security.
He said in lending support to CODEX, the Agriculture Ministry has taken steps to ensure that food production is backed up by guaranteed strategies of food and agricultural practices, especially extensive services, livestock, pest and disease management and the food safety and hygiene promotional codes.
In terms of legislation and regulation, the ministry has also developed and augmented the seed bill, the food safety and animal and welfare bill among others.
Meanwhile, Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) representative Wilmot Garnet, said the activity was undertaken within a broader framework of a technical cooperation agreement.

He said achieving effective participation in such international forum is heavily dependent on the existence of a national CODEX structure, which is functioning efficiently and effectively.
The project saw the discharge and operation of a sound national CODEX that would enable Guyana to improve its participation as well as its capacity to discuss topics of interest to the sub-regions, Garnet said.

The final activity in Guyana also sought to address Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) One, Two, Seven and Eight and sought to assist the national CODEX contact point of participating countries and governing bodies relating to food imports through increased national awareness participation and effective influence in international food safety and food quality standard processes.
The invitees included representatives of IICA, PAHO/WHO, permanent secretaries and other government officials.