Guyana, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is currently working towards finalising a strategy framework for the collection of non-traditional agriculture (crops) production data and the enhancement of the National Agriculture Market Information System for the country.
A release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said that a one-day stakeholders’ consultation was held recently at the Regency Hotel, to introduce the draft strategy framework as well as to propose methodology for the collection of the data. Participants were drawn from the agriculture sector, international development partners and staff of the Ministry of Agriculture.
This was supplemented by a three-day workshop from April 16-18, which trained stakeholders to collect and analyse crop data and to develop a fully functional information system.
Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, General Manager, Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) Nizam Hassan and Regional Statistician, FAO, Veronica Boero addressed the forum.
The release said that stakeholders were advised by the sector minister that the provision of timely market information on quantities, quality and prices for non-traditional agricultural crops is critical to the development of the sector.
He said, “The hope is that this stakeholder workshop will indeed accelerate our path to having an international quality, comprehensive database for agriculture in Guyana.”
Ramsammy revealed that Guyana really has no idea how much vegetables and fruits it produces and this is the situation in most developing countries.
He said, “… we want to be one of the few developing countries with a well established quality developing system for crops and livestock.”
According to GINA, the minister said that the aim was to develop a data system that rivals that of sugar and rice. The poultry and the fishing industries have developed a reasonable data collection methodology but neither of those reached the quality and comprehensiveness of rice and sugar.
Finalising a strategy framework for the collection of non-traditional agriculture (crops) production data and the enhancement of the National Agriculture Market Information System along with the development of a sanitary and phyto-sanitary regime, will enhance the country’s goal of moving towards becoming a major export nation of crops outside of sugar and rice.
The FAO Regional Statistician explained the data will assist the farmers and ministry in making evidence-based decisions.
The GMC General Manager said that apart from the strategy, information system and the training, the project also will assist in the modification to the GMC website. The site is to be fully updated, fully automated and become fully interactive, the release added.
