– Min Bulkan stresses at second annual RACE in Region Three

MINISTER of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, has stressed that regional farmers and entrepreneurs must focus on creating value-added products, so that Guyana can move away from being just a “commodity producer.”

The minister was addressing residents of Region Three on Saturday at the second annual Regional, Agricultural and Commercial Exhibition (RACE) held in this region, under the theme: “Sustaining Region Three in a ‘Green’ Economy.” The event was held at the Hydronie Playfield.

Minister Bulkan noted that the event stemmed from the charge of President David Granger to create a regional platform for entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and boost economic activities.

“While race has been a major problem that has blighted Guyana’s development over the years, this RACE can help to break this cycle through economic empowerment,” he said and added: “RACE is not an event of fun and frolic, it is intended to put on display the region’s agricultural output, products and food-production capacity.”

He also noted, importantly, that the event is one of the many developmental programmes conceptualised by the incumbent government and held in all of the 10 administrative regions as it is expected to spur innovation and investment in diversification and production.

“We believe in the bottom-up approach to development… the small man being the real man,” he said. “This administration has, and is, advancing a development model to engender an environment at the community level to unleash innovation in all sectors, [and] the agricultural sector is not [an] exception.”

According to him, for years agriculture has been a major economic activity of this country, where crops were produced in mass amounts, but exported to other countries.

“Guyana must move away from being a commodity producer,” he stressed however, and noted. “We must be the one to add value to our products through agro-processing.”

And in so doing, he also opined that RACE forms an important foundation and which local communities can promote value-added products and move away from the “usual buying and selling attitude.”

Lending credence to the minister’s sentiments was one exhibitor, Janelle Cox, a representative of Ann’s Bakery.

“We’re here today, because we want to showcase local products in Guyana, that use everything locally made,” Cox said. “RACE gives us a chance to showcase that we don’t necessarily have to always import everything from overseas… to me, it’s just a good idea to showcase Guyana and what we do with our locally made products.”

Regional Executive Officer (REO), Jennifer Ferreira- Dougall, also shared, “This event is the hallmark of the agricultural and commercial potential of the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara.”

According to her, the event is one which allows exhibitors from the West Bank, the West Coast and the riverain communities, alongside members of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) to showcase what they have to offer to the populace.

Moreover, the REO noted that while traditional crops such as rice and sugar are important, diversification and manufacturing-based products will be needed to form the basis of Guyana’s economy. And this event is one which encourages local producers to diversify in this manner and create products of higher quality.

As such, she underscored, “This annual event will grow bigger and better as we strive not only to be the breadbasket, but the par of the ecotourism destination.”