The 12th Berbice Exposition and Trade Fair was launched on Friday even as a top Region Six official observed that the economic situation in the region has stagnated or has been declining.
The expo, which is expected to showcase what Berbice has to offer, will be held from August 19 to 22 at the Albion Sports Complex under the theme ‘Promoting Entrepreneurship for a Diversified Economy.’ It is being hosted by the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Business.
The launch took place at the CCCC building in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne. Present at the ceremony was Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin who congratulated the chamber for hosting the event even as he noted some challenges. “GuyExpo faces similar challenges to Berbice Expo…I believe the two key challenges that we face are financing and getting key contributors to participate,” he said.
“I want to applaud the chamber for trying to come up with innovative ways to get people there and get them to participate,” he added.
According to the Minister, such trade fairs are held to promote and develop businesses. “The problem we have had…in holding this expo, we sometimes have to compromise on the objectives,” Gaskin said. He commended the chamber on choosing the appropriate theme for the expo. “This is precisely what we need in Guyana,” he said.
Meantime, Tejpaul Adjodhea, the CCCC’s assistant treasurer and expo coordinator, revealed that the price to rent a booth remains at $50,000. He highlighted that the expo has continued to grow over the years. No vehicles or glass bottles will be allowed into the compound, he said, while recalling that over the years, the expo has been incident-free and to maintain that, security will be tight.
Region Six Chairman David Armogan, meantime, said the Berbice Expo is something that the people of the region look forward to since it first began in 2005. However, he expressed concern at the state of the economy. “This year’s exposition and trade fair is taking place at a time when the economic circumstances of our region has been declining or stagnated,” he said.
“The two main pillars (on) which our regional economy stands: rice and sugar, has been facing severe blows over the last year,” he asserted.
According to Armogan, this has caused the cash flow in the region to reduce significantly. “We may or may not see a decline in the numbers of persons that would come at the expo,” he said.
Armogan added that the theme of the expo is very appropriate and pledged the support of the region.
Tickets to enter the expo will cost $500 for adults and $300 for children.
