More room for value-added production in ‘agric sector

–as GMC commissions new ‘one-stop shop’, ATVs and refrigerated trucks

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha making brief remarks at the commissioning ceremony

WITH the aim of moving from primary producer and subsistence farming to value-added production, the Ministry of Agriculture has invested $26 million in the new Guyana Market Corporation (GMC) by way of three all-terrain vehicles and two refrigerated trucks.

At a ceremony to commemorate the launch of GMC’s “one-stop-shop” and commission the new vehicles on Friday, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha said that the investment in GMC is part of an overarching plan to enhance Guyana’s agriculture sector by promoting value-added production.

“We are still a primary producer of products, although we want our country to advance; we still do not have the faculties to advance our country’s development, but investments like these will enhance not only the country’s development, but enhance the country’s position to take its rightful place in the region and the world at large,” Minister Mustapha said, adding:

“These equipment and vehicles are only part of the investments that we will be making; the trucks, the incubators, and the ATV.”

The minister noted that farmers and other agriculture stakeholders will also benefit from the investments that have been made.

“What we are doing is moving our country from a primary producer, and from subsistence farming to where we can create more value-added products, and enhance the capabilities of our farmers and producers within our community,” the minister said. He said that the government will continue to invest in initiatives that will ultimately modernize the agriculture sector and that as it advances, the GMC will have a major role to play, as the government continues to promote the production of value-added, agro-processed commodities.

“The aim is to ensure, first of all, that we have food security, but we can’t have that if we don’t have the facilities to complement it,” Minister Mustapha reasoned.

Following up on what the minister said, GMC General Manager,Teshawna Lall said that the investments that have been made will help GMC to create better support systems for farmers and agro-processors.

''The Guyana Marketing Corporation stands committed to revamping its services, so as to better support farmers, agro-processors, and exporters,” the GM affirmed.

She said that the vehicles the agency has acquired and the one-stop-shop will provide a positive enabling environment to further push agro-processing in Guyana.

“These investments will positively contribute towards the population’s improvement, both internally and externally, and will provide an enabling environment,” she reasoned.

The ATVS will be used by GMC’s extension officers, mainly in the hinterland communities of Mabaruma, Kamarang, and Linden, all areas with scattered agriculture holdings.

The two refrigerator trucks will aid in the sustainability of goods and products during transportation from the farms to the markets. The trucks will supplement the existing cold-storage facilities in the country. Meanwhile, the ‘one-stop shop’ will play an integral role in assisting potential and existing agro-processors with one central location that has all the necessary information related to agro-processing.