HUNDREDS of youths and farmers in East Berbice-Corentyne are set to benefit from agro-processing training this year, with the construction of a Japanese-funded agro-processing centre by the St. Francis Community Developers.

In 2018, the Non-Government Organisation (NGO), among two others, received grants totalling US$270,510 for major Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) though the Government of Japan.

President of St. Francis Community Developers, Alex Foster, told the Guyana Chronicle that the building, located at Chandisingh Avenue in Rose Hall Town, is now over 70 per cent complete with final works being addressed.

In explaining the need for such a centre, Foster said that agriculture in the region was given a boost when the NGO teamed up with Food For The Poor (FFTP); the Ministry of Social Protection, community groups and residents in 2018, to establish several greenhouses across the region.

Added to this, equipment such as tillers, water pumps and other farming tools were also distributed to several farming groups located as far as Orealla and DeVelt in the Berbice River.

“Agriculture in the region has been given a ‘shot in the arm’ and because of that, St. Francis sees it fit to add value to the produce that sometimes goes to waste or are sold very cheap,” Foster said. “The establishment is to ensure that we have value-added products and training can be offered so that farmers can be able to make their own products in the event of [a] surplus.”

St. Francis Community Developers is located in Rose Hall Town, Berbice, within a 10 acre complex that also houses a training hall, conference room, resource centre, guest house and dormitory.

The complex provides social services; welfare and relief; counselling; assistance to students, youths, women and persons with disabilities; skills trade teaching; legal aid service and more.

Considering the NGO’s reach, Foster added: “Because St. Francis was instrumental in establishing 12 pre and play schools across the region, we have the reality where over 600 play schoolers go to a safe environment on a daily basis. Because of that we have a steady target group that we can produce baby food, such as the grinded barley and other produce to make baby-friendly food.”

The organisation is not short of ideas as, in 2018, along with FFTP, it aided in the establishment of over 100 housing units for poor families, the members of which are expected to be targeted for agro-processing training.

“Those families that are living in the houses, some of them are unemployed, so we’ll be targeting them so that they can be able to receive a much-needed skill that they can utilise to supplement their family’s sources of income,” he said.

Foster told the newspaper that the challenge the NGO may face is not one regarding publicity, but rather how it will handle the number of persons who may show interest.
Regarding the trainers who will seek to meet this need, he assured: “Our people are trained; that was the basis we used to attract the funding from the Japanese and Food For the Poor, because we were able to prove to them that we are not just talking about agro-processing, this is something that we have been involved in over a long period of time.”
He added that the facility will be made available to any resident or business person interested in lending their expertise.

“One of the major problems that people have is not being able to have their produce marketed at the supermarkets and at established centres because they are not able to satisfy all the government requirements, mainly because they don’t know how. So, our building is not only going to be used for training but it will be used to help farmers and businessmen to see what are the necessary requirements and the minimum standards for a proper commercial facility,” he said.

As the building’s construction is being finalised, the NGO is awaiting additional agro-processing equipment from overseas. The equipment is being supplied by Food For The Poor.

The construction of the building began in August, 2018 and its contractors are working towards a grand commissioning by March, 2019.