Bibi Farina Fareeda: Lisa’s Manufacturing: Offers a variety of cakes, fruit mixes, jams and assorted snack foods. Bibi says that one of her wishes for the New Year is to secure the funding to upgrade the packaging and labeling for her products. She believes that enhanced presentation will help expand her customer base. She is also hoping that 2022 will bring more marketing exposure through trade fairs and exhibitions.
Sursattie Paul: Fresh Packagers: Has been offering assorted snacks and spices to her customers for the past twelve years. She is hoping that 2022 will see her secure funding to improve the packaging and labelling of her products. She believes that while her products are popular on the local market it will be necessary to improve her product presentation if she is to make an entry onto the overseas market. One of her ambitions for the New Year is to be able to attend at least one overseas product exhibition.
Abike Hamilton: Purpleheart Organics: Offers body care and beauty products manufactured from local plants and herbs. Abike is hoping that 2022 will see the Guyana market paying more attention to locally manufactured beauty and body care products which she believes are safer than some imported brands. Abike too is interested in funding for labelling, packaging and bulk-buying of raw material. “Many small businesses in the beauty care sector find themselves living from sale to sale,” she says.
Danita Wilson; A recent graduate of the Sand Creek Secondary School in Region 9 and a Peanut Farmer, Danita resides in Katoonarib Village, South Central, Rupununi, Her wish for 2022 is new markets become available for herself and other peanut farmers from Region Nine. It would also help, she says, if government moves quickly to improve the quality of coast to hinterland roads in order to improve the movement of goods to markets on the coast.
Alicia Daniels: Our country needs to enact policies that will provide and protect equal opportunity, across the sectors, for all of us and for future generations. We need to enjoy a standard of living which our generous resources can afford us. To do so emerging entrepreneurs must be afforded opportunity to grow by making available the training and the tools to do so.
Natasha David: Craft artist & Designer: I believe that government can promote our creative industries by investing in their marketing. This should include the official hosting of promotional craft displays across the country. While consumers may wish to have a variety of creative pieces that include imports, Greater emphasis should be placed the aggressive marketing of locally made creations.
Damian Bacchus is a cash crop farmer who cultivates 12 acres of land at from Friendship on the East Bank Demerara. Bacchus currently rents a tractor and has accumulated savings of around $300,000.00 towards one of his own. His wish is to be favorably entertained by a suitable lending source to negotiate the remaining amount a tractor of his own.
Rayburn Jones is Chairman of the Mocha-Arcadia Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society whose Market Days are among the best-supported in much of Region Four.
Jones says that for several years government has ignored what the community believes are remediable drainage and irrigation problems. He says that since farming represents a livelihood for many members of the community, the frequent inaccessibility of the farmlands aback of residential Mocha has become a matter of deep concern to residents. He says that repeated efforts to persuade the authorities to remedy the problem have failed
Sharla Hernandez is a craftswoman who resides in Lethem. She designs and creates jewelry from an assortment of seeds that grow ‘in the wild’ in the Region. Her craft items are also popular. Sharla told Stabroek Business that she would wish to see the creation of a Resource Centre in the Rupununi where creative people can produce, display and market their handiwork.
Sharla’s wider ambition is to become part of the garment manufacturing industry and she is currently seeking funding to help finance her ambition.
Johnathan Joseph is small tour operator at the Ariwa Beach along the Takuku River, Lethem. Visitors come to the spot for baths, family picnics, fishing or bird-watching. Joseph says the facility had been closed for almost a year on account of the covid-19 pandemic. He operates the small business along with his wife Edione. He believes that the service has what it takes to do much better if the official tourism authorities would assist in its marketing. He would wish that they visit the site to discuss this with him.
