Agro-processing business taking Caribbean by storm – Mustapha

…as New GMC’s Guyana Shop celebrates 9 years

The New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) on Wednesday celebrated the ninth year of the “100% local” Guyana Shop, which provides a space for agro-processors and other manufacturers to market and sell their products to persons looking to “buy local”.

Located at Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda, Georgetown, the Guyana Shop carries products ranging from sauces, dried fruits, and seasonings to laundry detergents, and cosmetics just to name a few.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, in his remarks at the simple celebratory event, stated that agro-processing has evolved into a business that is taking the Caribbean by storm.
“When we look at our agro-processors and our country’s agro-processing capabilities, over the years, it has evolved into a business that is taking the Caribbean by storm. Nine years ago, there were only a few persons involved in agro-processing,” the Minister noted.
“Today, there are a number of persons involved in agro-processing as is evident by the hundreds of nicely-packaged commodities available on the shelves. One of the objectives of our government is to ensure we develop this aspect of the agriculture sector,” he went on to say.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that as of this year, the New GMC is expected to build several new agro-processing facilities across the country.
“These facilities will be built in both urban and rural parts of the country like in the deep south of Region Nine, Black Bush Polder in Region Six, Region 10, and on the Essequibo Coast,” Minister Mustapha said.
He further revealed that as Chairman of the Ministerial Taskforce set up by Caricom to address issues relating to agriculture among Member States, he has been working to address the many barriers to trade that are affecting Guyanese agro-processors and producers.
“We are building these facilities because there are many persons who want to get involved in these types of activities. Earlier today, I had a discussion with a company that is interested in working with about 50 agro-processors to help them develop their business. So, you can see that this government is taking this aspect of agriculture very seriously,” the Minister informed.
“We have been moving rapidly to address this and very soon, you will see many of these items being exported to new markets in the Caribbean and other parts of the world,” he further stated.
Additionally, Minister Mustapha stated that the New GMC has been tasked with developing innovative ideas to have more Guyana Shop corners established across the country.
Meanwhile, New GMC General Manager Teshawna Lall stated that despite the ongoing pandemic, the Guyana Shop was able to expand on its line of products and establish additional facilities across the country.
“The mandate of the Guyana Shop is to house, promote and build awareness for the vastly growing array of locally-manufactured products. The Guyana Shop has in excess of 600 different product lines and 120 agro-processers. Despite the pressures of COVID-19, we managed to add 39 products and 14 new agro-processors. We also saw the addition of 60 over-the-counter (OTC) products from Twins Manufacturing and the NEW GPC. To top off the ending of a great year, we were successful in establishing four new Guyana Shop Corners,” Lall related.
Moreover, Guyana Shop Manager Kevin Macklingam informed that since its establishment, the Guyana Shop was able to work with agro-processors to develop their packaging capabilities.
“Over the years, we’ve evolved from using recycled bottles and photocopied labels to international standards of new bottles and labels. At first, agro-processors were reluctant to the change, but with the encouragement of the New GMC, they’ve evolved. This is evident in the attractive display of the varying products being offered in the Guyana Shop today,” Macklingam revealed