The aggressive pursuit by emerging Guyanese businesses of opportunities offered by major international markets to positively transform their entrepreneurial fortunes must be attended by both a clear understanding of the rules and regulations associated with marketing in an international environment, as well as “a sense of mission” on the part of aspiring Guyanese entrepreneurs, Secretary/Director of the Florida-based Guyanese-American Chamber of Commerce (GACC), Melinda Gordon, has told the Stabroek Business.
Gordon, who is currently visiting Guyana, met with government officials yesterday to discuss the participation of local small busiensses in this year’s Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo (FITCE). She is due to meet with small business owners seeking to participate in this year’s event on Monday September 26.
Earlier this week, in an interview with this newspaper, Gordon said that there was no question than that the talent and creativity that turns out Guyanese-made products, whether these be in the area of agro-processing, craft or the various other creative disciplines, is often exceptional, it takes much more than a high-quality product to cause the owner to secure entrepreneurial success in major international markets.
She drew particular attention to the rules associated with the marketing of products that include foods and condiments, and of the need, when these are being imported into the United States, for them to be institutionally scrutinised in order to determine their bona fides. The GACC official alluded to the strict phytosanitary regime that attends the importation of foods, condiments and other commodities into the United States and which she told the Stabroek Business “persons from Guyana and other places who bring these things to the US are not always aware of.”
Contextually, the GACC official pointed out that while Guyanese products brought into the USA can often become widely popular with local markets, the first hurdle that those products must cross is that of satisfying the regulations set out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this regard she pointed out that while some product manufacturers are in the habit of making health and culinary claims on labels as part of their product promotion initiatives, unless those claims are readily “provable”, the products in question can become subject to FDA challenges and face the danger of not being allowed to enter the country.
Much of the reason for Gordon’s visit here is linked to the GACC’s efforts to contribute to the wider effort to ensure that local producers participate in the October 19-20 FITCE. Particularly, the GACC official is hoping that her engagements with local officials may lead to a measure of official support for the attendance at FITCE of a Guyanese contingent of aspiring entrepreneurs.
An earlier request to government for support in meeting the costs associated with a contingent of small businesses participating in this year’s FITCE event has already met with a negative response from the Ministry of Business.
Meanwhile, Gordon told the Stabroek Business that it was important that Guyanese participating in the FITCE, arrive there possessed of “a sense of purpose” with regard to why they were present at the event. “FITCE is not a bazaar. It is not a forum designed particularly for substantive retail trading. FITCE is about building relationships, seeking to establish long-term markets. Frankly, I believe that there are many Guyanese products that are definitely good enough to secure a sustained presence on the US market. One gets the impression, however, that there are times when participants in the FITCE appear to see it as an opportunity “to do as much retail selling as possible. I understand that in those instances it may be a question of persons being keen to ensure that they recoup what they have spent to get themselves and their products to Florida and the cost of staying there for the duration of the event. This is where government support comes in. It needs to be remembered that success for Guyanese products at an event like the FITCE can have a knock-on effect on the country’s external markets as a whole.”
Currently in its fifth year, the FITCE, Gordon told the Stabroek Business, continues to be instrumental in providing sustained support for Guyanese participation in the event. “We have been able to cause the organisers of the event to make available booths for small Guyanese businesses free of charge. Just before the pandemic in 2019, we had the largest contingent of participants from Guyana [19] participating in the event. Guyana’s footprint was the talk of the event. Us being there garnered a lot of interest for the various other participants.” She noted that it was in the wake of the country’s highly visible participation in the 2019 event that Guyana was “courted” for the establishment of a World Trade Center, a licence for which was secured by the GACC’s patron, Demerara Distillers Ltd.
