Hopeful that the marketability of their products will be enhanced through their participation in next weekend’s Annual Agro Fest in Barbados, a group of thirty five (35) local manufacturers in the craft, agro processing, furniture and other sectors will, with the support of the Guyana Office for Investment (G-Invest) travel to Barbados for the country’s February 24-27 Agro Fest event.
Stabroek Business has been informed that the traveling contingent will benefit from various forms of product exposure as well as professional advice on securing access to the Barbadian market.
Director of G-Invest’s Export Promotion Department Kibbyan Chester told the Stabroek Business earlier this week that the group will, during the period of the Agro Fest event, benefit from engagements with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and other agencies at which fora they will be engaged in discussions on procedures for importing their products into Barbados. The visiting Guyanese business persons will also have the opportunity to meet with proprietors of Supermarkets and other outlets in Barbados for discussions of making available ‘shelf space’ for Guyanese products. Those engagements will also include meetings with local distributors during which the Guyanese business persons will be ‘tutored’ in the various procedures associated with successfully accessing the Barbados market.
While the Stabroek Business was unable to secure access to the full list of Guyanese businesses comprising the group that will be led by the G-Invest CEO, the given named companies that will travel to Barbados under the auspices of G-Invest are GuyAmerica Furniture, Comfort Sleep, Avi’s Little Things, Krafta’s, Precision Global, Essence of Herbs, Annie’ Products and Diekah’s Spices.
Setting aside the opportunity which businesses from Guyana will have to directly market their products in Barbados Stabroek Business was informed that the group traveling to Barbados under the auspices of GOINVEST will be afforded the opportunity to meet and have discussions with representatives of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce on matters that include procedures associated with the importation of their goods into Guyana. Stabroek Business understands that local Agro Processors within the group will be afforded opportunities to interact with Proprietors of local Supermarkets and other outlets on the possibility of arriving at agreements that will allow for shelf space for Guyanese products on the shelves of outlets in Barbados. Those discourses are expected to include logistical arrangements for moving the products to Barbados.
Meanwhile, the Stabroek Business has been informed that some of the businesses from Guyana that will have a presence at the Barbados Agro Fest this year include those offering Furniture, Agro Processed products, Fruit and Vegetables, and Handicraft.
Meanwhile, Stabroek Business has been told that the Small Business Bureau will be offering assistance/support to businesses registered with the entity to participate in the Barbados Agro Fest. The Bureau has reportedly set out sponsorship criteria that require, among other things, that applicants be Guyana Revenue Authority-compliant and that the products that they offer are ‘export-ready.’
The Government of Guyana, through G-Invest will be sponsoring the space for the exhibitors.
