By M Margaret Burke

THE International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) are diligently working to increase food availability and reinforce incomes of small-scale farmers in Guyana, as well as other Caribbean countries such as Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, and Suriname.
ITC Coordinator for the Coconut Industry Development for the Caribbean (CIDC), Guyana’s Raymond Trotz, told the Pepperpot Magazine that the timeline of the CIDC project, which commenced in 2015, will be up to the end of this year (2018). He explained that the beneficiaries of the project are small coconut farmers, plantation operators, owners and workers, coconut producing and processing communities, young people and women in coconut and coconut product processing and marketing, also SME coconut products manufacturers.

CARIBBEAN WEEK OF AGRICULTURE
Trotz said that this CIDC project has its genesis in a series of efforts arising from a study presented at the 12th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) held in Guyana from October 7 – 12, 2013.

The study, he noted, was funded by the European Commission on behalf of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Secretariat and the Caribbean Forum (Cari-Forum). It may be seen in the context of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) following the withdrawal of preferential treatment for traditional plantation crops in European markets.

He reported that two priority interventions were identified: (i) enhancing the range of value-added products, particularly higher valued products and growing business and entrepreneurial activities and (ii) improving production, productivity and efficiency.

AWAKENING A SLEEPING GIANT
Trotz, in reporting on the activities of CIDC, said that in pursuit of developing a regional roadmap, a workshop was held in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2014. It was hosted by CARDI in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and was attended by stakeholders from Belize, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. At that meeting the European Commission (EC) representatives announced a preliminary funding of €3.5 million to prepare the industry for resuscitation.

Additionally, in early 2015, a five-member Caribbean delegation attended the 51st APCC conference held in Cochin, Kerala, South India. The opportunity was taken to tour the Indian coconut industry in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and to visit the Indian Coconut board.

WORKSHOPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS
By the second quarter of 2015, the ITC and CARDI had held a series of workshops with stakeholders in participating countries. These meetings demonstrated a policy of participatory approaches aimed at ensuring that stakeholders become intimately involved in the development and implementation of plans to develop their industry. The emphasis was that ownership of, and consequently, responsibility for the development of the industry must reside with its stakeholders.

Stakeholders included not only producers of primary and value-added products but also providers of support services such as banking, marketing, suppliers of inputs, regulatory agencies, and technical service providers.

This, Trotz said, led to the development of a project aimed at four desirable outcomes, namely: market opportunities identified; competitiveness and sustainability; access to information and advisory services on finance, trade, agriculture, management, and markets facilitated for small producers; and small producers having greater access to risk management instruments, particularly for climate and market risks.

Trotz said that at the end of Guyana’s stakeholders meeting held at the Grand Coastal Hotel in May 2015, a decision was taken to form a National Stakeholders Platform to drive the development of the industry. The platform was initiated in June 2015 with a core of stakeholders from production, processing, and support agencies such as NAREI, GMC and IICA and work has continued ever since.

A synopsis of the roadmap of Guyana’s coconut industry was presented at the first Coconut Festival held in October 2016 where a six-point strategy was outlined: to develop a business plan for the sector and profitability studies to support commercially driven development and value addition; to consolidate a sector demand and supply plan; improve access to finance and promote innovative schemes that respond to the needs of the sector; improve research for availability of and multiplication of right varieties for planting; promote better farming practices and extension services to increase productivity and improve pest and disease management; and improve organisation of coconut supply through an industry alliance between value-chain stakeholders by promoting organisation, planning, information flows and policy support.

In pursuit of this strategy, focus on strengthening value chains began with training in lean management practices in factories – starting with existing value chains in coconut water and coconut oil. An initial six facilities were evaluated between April and July 2016 and recommendations made for improvements in collaboration with their owners. In addition to this, the NSP joined an initiative taken by the Ministry of Tourism to host Guyana’s first Coconut Festival in October 2016. The theme “Awakening a Sleeping Giant” was a huge success and saw an influx of investors’ interest, both local and foreign.

Trotz reported that as several more prospective value chains were identified (and enquiries continue), a baseline study was conducted in 2017 to characterise Guyana’s coconut farmers. He said that an assessment was done through the characterisation study and identified strengths and weaknesses and endorsed the need for Alliances for Action (A4As) in a participatory approach as identified in the roadmap.

He added that the value-chain approach has been recognised as an appropriate organising principle for development, focusing on improving the production base to service the Chain through training stakeholders in specific areas. The methodology being adopted, he said, is to identify and select lead farmers and second ring farmers with the intention of disseminating improved practices in commercial coconut cultivation.

Lead farmers, Trotz explained, are identified through collaborative efforts with NAREI and community leaders, using a system of rankings. Each lead farmer is offered a menu of training to select from and is required to include an initial 10 – 20-second ring farmers, with a choice to voluntarily participate in the programme and make various in-kind contributions.

Training is based on the needs of the value chain, namely: coconut production development; extension support; business training; value-adding; food safety; and marketing.

PILOT ZONES
The three Pilot Zones identified are Regions Two, Four, Five and Region 10. The zone areas are to be expanded as the project is adopted and gains more support, according to Trotz.

So far, 16 training sessions are being organised in the three pilot zones. Some have already concluded in subjects such as food safety in the production of coconut water conducted by the Government Analyst- Food & Drug Department; integrated pest management, which was organised and conducted by CARDI with lead farmers from Regions Two, Four and Five, and NAREI field staff from Region 10.

Business training was conducted by the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) for Lead Farmers from Regions Four and Five, including participation from Fellowship, Mahaicony; Bygeval and Helena in Mahaica; Victoria and Buxton.

Training in Coconut Selection and Best Husbandry Practices was also conducted by NAREI and a veteran coconut field technician, Chandrika Persaud.

Other sessions will commence soon in making value-added products from coconuts and preparing to meet international market standards.

Trotz, at the same time, emphasised that all the sessions are geared towards providing essential knowledge-based and will be followed by the establishment of demonstration plots and facilities to be established in joint efforts among A4A members consisting of farmers, coconut processors, and various support agencies. (mercilinburke2017@gmail.com)