Continuing annual introduction…
By Tajeram Mohabir
NORTH West Organics (NWO) introduced a new variety of coffee on the local market Wednesday, in keeping with its objectives to develop and sell fine Guyanese organic food products.

At left, Minister Persaud, two Region One farmers and Mrs. Arjoon with the new brand of ground coffee (Adrian Narine photo).

Speaking on the occasion at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown, NWO founder, Mrs. Annette Arjoon said the introduction meshes with today’s demand for organically produced foods and dovetails with President Bharrat Jagdeo’s low carbon development strategy.

She told the gathering, mostly of Region One (Barima/Waini) farmers, that the production processes involved are carbon neutral and, on the whole, contribute to income generation in impoverished communities.

The beans from which the coffee is made are grown by farmers at Hosororo and Bunbury and sold to Blue Flame Women’s Group, also in Region One, which does the processing,

NWO then packages and distributes the processed coffee.

Arjoon said limited consumer testing has established that the coffee has a distinctive flavour, probably attributable to the fertile lateritic soil and environmental conditions of North West District, known as the organic area of Guyana.

She pointed out that NWO, which is an offshoot of Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society (GMTCS), of which she is the Project Coordinator, intends to continue putting out a different product annually, as it has done over the past few years.

SUPERMARKETS
Arjoon said the coffee now being marketed is available at Bounty, Nigel’s and Bonny’s supermarkets in the city.

She said, too, that NWO works in collaboration with Blue Flame to make crabwood oil, crabwood soap, cocoa sticks, peanut butter, cassava bread and cassareep, although mainly to meet their community needs.

Arjoon lauded the support of Go-Invest and the Ministries of Agriculture and Amerindian Affairs in the promotion of the various business ventures of NWO and farming activities in Region One locations.

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who was at the ceremony and sampled the coffee, announced that his ministry will make available to the maufacturing group vacuum packaging equipment valued at $350,000.

That machine will enable the product to retain its flavour and have a longer shelf life, he explained.

Mr. Persaud said his ministry’s partnership with NWO is aimed at bolstering their agro-processing activities and empowering the women of Region One to transform their traditional disadvantaged roles, by raising their standard of living through worthwhile economic opportunities.

He said, though the group’s plan to make an annual innovation is bold and innovative, the members must also look at widening their product range and exploring other ways of ensuring a sustainable enterprise.

Persaud said his ministry would be even more supportive of particularly the women’s activities and noted that, under the Rural Enterprise Agriculture Development (READ) Programme, assistance is given to women farming groups, in recognition of their vital contribution to their families and communities.

He said, over the past several months, such benefits have trickled down to groups with a clear vision to improve and expand their services.

In this regard, Persaud said much emphasis is being placed on quality, volume and markets availability to better the lives of members of the respective organizations, as well as women farmers on the whole.

He encouraged consumers to value and appreciate locally grown merchandise and buy the newly produced coffee.