Local other crops farmers are being encouraged to export their surplus produce to markets in CARICOM and further afield. To this end, NAREI’s National Plant Protection Organisation has been working with farmers to have their farms certified. This year, 51 vegetable farms operating on the coastland received farm certification.

Chief Executive Officer of NAREI, Dr. Oudho Homenauth during an interview on Close-up emphasised the importance of Guyana tapping into Regional markets to once again be recognised as the breadbasket of the Caribbean. NAREI is on a mission to ensure there is a market-led approach to agricultural development in Guyana.

He stated, “…without markets, it doesn’t make sense producing…We know our market is small and is somewhat saturated…be we have to look beyond that whether it is processing or tapping into Regional markets.”

Within the last two years, the exportation of fruits and vegetables has increased significantly. The major crops being exported are coconut (one of the country’s priority crops) followed by melons, pumpkins and ground provisions.

He noted that “for the export market, there are certain conditions that have to be satisfied…one such requirement is farm certification.”Farm certification is one of the major requirements by Guyana’s Regional trading partners to access their markets. This certification guarantees that the farmer would have produced crops under conditions that satisfy local and international markets.

The farm certification process involves Quarantine Officers inspecting and auditing farms for the purposes of seed production, organic crop production and exportation of produce. This process is continuous and is done periodically to encourage prospective clients as well as ensure compliance even after being certified. During the year, officers made over 430 farm visits.

All farms within “Pest Free Areas” may be considered for certification since they are located in geographic areas that are known to be free of a particular quarantine pest. For instance, Region Five is known to be free from the Carambola Fruit Fly, while the spread of the Pink Mealy Bug and Papaya Mealy Bug are under official control.

However, certification of farms in “Pest Free Areas” would be dependent on other pests, the level of pesticides used in controlling them, and good agricultural practices. Farms may take a while to be certified owing to the farmer’s ability to implement the necessary systems.

The steps for certification are simple and straightforward. They are:

1. Application form obtained from NPPO is completed;
2. The farmer and NPPO agree on a date to carry out the first inspection;
3. First inspection is done and advice is given;
4. Inspections continue until the farmer achieves required standard;
5. Report is submitted to NPPO Management Committee recommending certification of farm;
6. Once approved, farm is certified for one year and subjected to unannounced inspections;
7. And, if unapproved, procedures are repeated from the inspection phase.

Persons desirous for additional information could contact NPPO on telephone #220-5858 or email: nppogy@gmail.com.