Dear Editor,
In these days of astronomical food prices, I find myself reflecting on the sheer genius of that pivotal decision back in 1985—the one where the Guyana Marketing Corporation, in a dazzling display of foresight, decided to stop buying and selling agricultural goods altogether. I mean, who could argue against the brilliance of a marketing corporation deciding not to engage in actual marketing? It’s like a fish deciding that water is overrated.
This decision gave birth to what we now fondly refer to as the “New” Guyana Marketing Corporation, and thus began the price of myopia. Imagine the courage it took to stare down the barrel of basic economics and say, “No, we will not be shackled by such trivialities as supply and demand!” Instead, the GMC chose the higher path—one of market facilitation, post-harvest technology dissemination, and market research. Surely, we can all see how this has led to the cornucopia of affordable, abundant food we enjoy today.
Oh wait, that’s not quite right, is it? Instead, we find ourselves in a market where the only thing more inflated than the price of tomatoes—up by over 300% in the past decade—is the rhetoric about how well the “New” GMC is doing its job. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the overall cost of food has surged by 25% in just the last two years, a clear indication that the decision to cease all buying and selling might have been an exercise in governmental efficiency, but it seems to have missed one tiny detail: the people who actually need to buy and eat food.
But let’s not be too harsh. After all, who needs affordable food when we can have market intelligence services? Farmers surely appreciate being informed about the high prices their crops could fetch—if only there were a viable market for them. And isn’t it comforting to know that while our pockets are emptying at the market, the GMC is tirelessly facilitating exports to places where someone else can afford to eat?
Perhaps it’s time we revisited that 1985 decision. Maybe, just maybe, the idea of a marketing corporation that actually markets isn’t such a bad one after all. Until then, I’ll continue to marvel at the high-minded ideals of a policy that’s left us all paying dearly for the price of myopia.
Yours faithfully,
Keith Bernard
