It would be to the government’s considerable credit if it can deliver the promised thirteen Agro-processing facilities to farmers across the country within a reasonable timeframe. As it happens the various signals that have been sent by the Ministry of Agriculture about the state of readiness of the facilities to be handed over to farmers who are anticipating their completion and operationalization, are decidedly mixed, to say the least, particularly in the matter of the timeline by which these facilities will become fully operational.
Several weeks ago, suddenly, a ‘hum’ about the imminent commissioning of the facilities arose, its origins seemingly emerging from the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), even though there appeared to be no definitive signals sent to media houses, on the whole, regarding what, contextually, ought to have been a fairly significant turn of events. Here it has to be said that based on this newspaper’s experience of interacting with the GMC it does not appear that the agency is altogether empowered to engage the media on events of this kind. This, it seems, is the sole prerogative of the Ministry of Agriculture. This much appeared to be confirmed by the fact that reportage on the Agro processing facilities appeared to be emanating exclusively from that Ministry, the problem here being that as is not infrequently the case with state agencies, inquiries to state agencies on matters of public interest are often responded to by postures that have evasiveness written all over them, except in cases where, for the particular state agency, there is some image-enhancing gain to be realized.
Multiple sources have informed this newspaper that not only would any attempt by officialdom to suggest that the emerging Agro processing facilities are all ‘ready to rumble’ be an exercise in dishonesty, but also, even the “end of 2023,” the timeline reportedly given by the Minister of Agriculture for the completion of “all thirteen facilities” all of the facilities is a “sure thing.” Here, it should be noted, that the gradual growth of the Agro Processing sector ‘running on’ facilities that mostly lack the technology dimension to further enhance amounts to chasing a dream in the light of the prevailing global competition. Opportunities for access to international markets are all the more reason why, in circumstances where such undertakings have now become affordable for Guyana, the available opportunities should be seized. This is unlikely to occur in a decision-making environment that often appears to be decidedly muscle-bound by bureaucracy.
