THE Region Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands) administration on Saturday is set to kick off its inaugural Regional Agricultural and Commercial Expo which is expected to feature more than 80 booths with much attention placed on farmers.
Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) Jennifer Ferreira Dougall, said the region is ready to have a grand event at the Leonora stadium.

“As mandated by President David Granger, we will have an expo similar to what was held in Regions Two, Four, Five and 10,” said Dougall during a site visit on Wednesday.
According to her, the event should have been held last year, but planners decided to wait until this month because they wanted to ensure that everything was in place to make the event successful.

The regional administration is being ably assisted by the Region Three Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“This is the first ever, we’ll have such an event in the region and we know it is going to be as the young people say, ‘the bomb’,” she said, adding that a lot of planning and preparation were done to ensure that all goes well.

The DREO is encouraging persons from all the regions to visit the expo and see what Region Three produces and what it has to offer.
Dougall believes that the event would create a wide market for farmers, especially those who do not get regular markets for their produce.

“Region Three can feed the people of the country, we have rice, cash crops and fruits… we intend to make this event a yearly one, so that people can realise the worth of this region,” said the DREO.
Regional Information Officer Ganesh Mahipaul echoed the sentiments of Dougall and added that the aim is to show the economic power of the region.

The event will be open to the public at 15:00hrs and will attract an entry fee of $300 for adults and $200 for children.
In addition to the unique exhibits, Mahipaul said there will be games, entertainment and a packed programme.