(Part 11 of Stabroek Business exchange with Agro Processors)
The establishment of an officially recognized and supported organization designed to facilitate “more direct and meaningful support” for the country’s agro-processing sector was one of the recommendations that arose from the recent informal exchange between the Stabroek Business and a group of local Agro Processors ( ‘We’re ‘Out of the loop:’ Small agro processors… – Stabroek Business, May 26th, 2023) News. Such an organization, the contributors to the discourse felt, should have the support of government in terms of the fulfillment of the objective of growing the sector without being subjected to the kinds of official controls that limit the growth of the sector. While the discussants were of the view that government can “do more” to make the sector more viable, there was universal acknowledgement that the group said was the ‘support’ that Agro Processors were receiving from government.
Apart from the recent material support from government to help fund the participation of a small group of local agro processors in the recent Agro Fest event in Barbados, the group acknowledged the material support from the Small Business Bureau, though it was felt that “much more” needed to be done to help emerging agro processing establishments to grow. The discussants also raised the need for more official help in the marketing of the sector. Here the discussants expressed the view that the high cost of meaningful product promotion continues to impede their marketing efforts. While the role of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), through the agency’s Guyana Shop, and its staging of other outdoor product promotion events was acknowledged, the view was also expressed that the private sector, as a whole, including the country’s major food outlets, should be encouraged to go beyond their current product promotion efforts to support the local Agro-Processing sector.
The recommendation that the major supermarkets currently trading locally should be ‘encouraged’ to stage structured product promotion events received the unanimous support from the group even as the recommendation was made that local Business Support Organizations (BSO’s), including the Private Sector Commission (PSC), officially recognize and execute a commitment to a structured arrangement for the promotion of the local Agro Processing sector. While the view was expressed that local agro-processed goods should be given “preference” on the Guyana market, the point was made by some of the participants that any attempt to place limits on imported items that occupy ‘shelf space’ on supermarket shelves could lead to retaliatory action in countries where local Agro Processors were seeking to make inroads.
During the course of the wide-ranging discussion with the Stabroek Business, it was recommended that visitors to Guyana have access to display baskets containing local Agro Produce and be provided with timely and reliable information as to where these products can be purchased. While the group acknowledged the support being provided up to this time for the Agro Processing sector the point was made that “government is now in a position to do a lot more” and that the aggressive promotion of local agro produce should be seen as one of a package of poverty alleviation measures that seek to target local micro and small businesses.
