– as Ministry of Agriculture and GMC facilitate training

By M Margaret Burke

FARMERS, many of whom also perform the roles of agro-processors, and exporters from across Guyana, participated in a training session on the ‘Essentials of contract law’. The one day session marked the start of a series of training exercises facilitated by the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The session was recently held in the Ministry of Agriculture’s boardroom and facilitated by Ashme Singh, LLB.

Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Agriculture, Delma Nedd informed participants that historically Guyana has been known for its ability to export fresh produce, such as rice, sugar, root crops, fruits and vegetables. These exports, she said, were by and large based on trade preferences to the US, Europe and Canada. However, with the movement towards free trade most of these communities have become uncompetitive and in some cases the industries ceased to exist.

Local, regional and international markets

She said that the best opportunities for future growth in the agribusiness sector appear to lie in the value-added processed products, market-driven by consumers seeking goods of greater convenience versus fresh produce. On the other hand, she added that the subsector provides a golden opportunity for reducing imports of processed goods to meet local and regional needs and to expand into international export markets. Another advantage of this process, she posited, is that it helps to increase the food security through increased trade, primarily to tourist reliant territories dependent on food imports to satisfy hotels and restaurants.

She explained that the distribution outlook for fresh and agro-processed products in and out of the Caribbean region, would cover the domestic market consisting primarily of food retail, food service sectors, the hospitality sector comprising hotels, restaurants, cafes and, in a limited sphere, the cruise ship sector.

“Guyana’s export markets are primarily intra-regional trade within CARICOM to those mainly tourist reliant territories, which are dependent on imports for food and international trade with extra-regional countries in North America (U.S and Canada) and Europe (mainly UK). Opportunities exist for trade in South America, especially, as more cooperation agreements come into force, new areas of such opportunities are opening, namely Brazil from Guyana”, she further noted.

DEALING WITH CHALLENGES
Adding, that while these opportunities are promising and could help to develop the local agribusiness sector, Nedd said, there are a number of challenges which must be conquered. She further said, “The way we do business with our partners and vice versa; the way they do business with us…the Ministry of Agriculture recognises the need for farmers to be equipped with the basic knowledge of doing business in a fair manner.”

According to Nedd, the Agriculture Ministry will be embarking on a series of new initiatives and expand on some activities which have already commenced. This includes, working along with the private sector members such as the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association through the ‘Inter-Ministerial Round-Table Meeting on Agro-Processing.’
She added that this is where her ministry, the Ministry of Business and the Ministry of Finance, together with the GMSA, collectively meet bi-monthly to develop ways to improve the agro-processing industry.
These proposals, she revealed, are further discussed at the government level and have already borne fruit. In this regard, she said that agro-processors will benefit from the increased availability of packaging materials at reduced cost in 2019.

PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Additionally, through collaboration with the GMSA, the Agriculture Ministry will be partnering to host a number of promotional activities, whereby farmers will be given the opportunity to market their products. Training will also be enhanced in 2019.
“We have also recognised that in our pursuit to create linkages between buyers and sellers, there have been instances where unethical business practices have taken place. This has resulted in some of you being disheartened. We therefore urge you to make full use of this opportunity which is presented to you”, Nedd disclosed.
As it relates to the training on ‘Essential Knowledge of Contract Law’, she urged the farmers be attentive and ask as many questions as possible.

THE GUYANA SHOP
GMC’s General Manager, Ida Sealey-Adams, in brief remarks said the corporation is mandated to facilitate the non-traditional agricultural sector’s development. She explained that over the years they have worked continuously with agro-processors to provide guidance in the area of product development, resulting in improvements of labels and packaging materials.
She indicated that through collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Corporation on Agriculture (IICA), the GMC has organised several training sessions in the area of ‘Cost of Production and Good Manufacturing Practices’ in many of the administrative regions.

TRAINING AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
She noted that record keeping continues to be a challenge for the agro-processors, as such more training sessions are being planned to cover the areas. Sealey-Adams cited efforts with the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), where training sessions were hosted in the areas of jam making and pepper sauce making.

In relation to the Guyana Shop’s Corners, Ms. Adams said that through their partnership with proprietors of supermarkets and other retail shops, the GMC has been able to establish ‘corners’ or in some cases been able to supply agro-processed products to retailers.

Additionally, participation at regional activities such as CWA resulted in opportunities being created for the exportation of products such as coconut oil. Support was given to agro-processors and has resulted in interested persons being exposed to international trade shows such as the SIAL Toronto Trade Show in 2017”, she posited.