AI, Agriculture & technology take centre stage at 20th edition of Berbice Expo

– over 150 exhibitors, 180 booths on display

The 20th edition of Berbice Expo and Trade Fair opened on Friday evening with a record exhibitor turnout, bringing together more than 150 exhibitors occupying over 180 booths in a wide-ranging showcase of business, production, services, technology and entrepreneurship.
Thousands of patrons moved through the Rose Hall Canje Welfare Ground, East Canje, on opening night, where established companies shared exhibition space with small businesses, agro-processors, manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
Organised by the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC), the four-day exposition is being held under the theme, “Harnessing AI to Transform the Future While Enhancing Our People.”
The diversity of the exhibits reflected how far the event has developed beyond a conventional trade fair. Agriculture and agro-processing featured alongside manufacturing, financial services, housing and construction, heavy machinery, motor vehicles, packaging, timber products, locally made goods and emerging technology.
Agriculture, one of the traditional pillars of the Berbice economy, maintained a strong presence, with exhibits covering areas including fisheries, food safety and hydroponics.
The displays also demonstrated the increasingly important relationship between production and technology. Agricultural and industrial machinery showed the role mechanisation can play in improving efficiency, while drone technology added another dimension to an Expo being staged under an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused theme.
Large machines were among the equipment displayed outdoors, while Nand Persaud and Company showcased agricultural and industrial equipment, machinery and lubricants.
Beyond primary production, agro-processing and locally produced foods and beverages showed how agricultural output can be transformed into finished products with greater commercial value.
The Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) and Guyana Shop showcased locally produced and processed goods, placing Guyanese products before the large number of consumers passing through the exhibition.
Small producers
For small producers, however, getting a product onto the market involves considerably more than producing the raw material. Processing, packaging, presentation and access to consumers all become part of converting that production into a commercially viable finished product.
That link was reflected in the presence of Fullworks, which displayed containers and other packaging products. Timber exhibits provided another practical example of value addition.
Dressed lumber was displayed alongside finished decorative pieces, including items fashioned in the shape of Guyana, demonstrating how a locally available raw material can acquire additional value through processing, craftsmanship and finishing.
Small businesses and craft producers also occupied booths alongside larger companies, giving entrepreneurs access to the same crowds attracted by established brands.
That interaction is central to one of the purposes behind the Expo, providing smaller businesses with greater exposure and an opportunity to observe, interact with and learn from more established operators while introducing their own products to a wider market.
Housing and construction added another dimension to the exhibition. Among the displays was a two-bedroom model or prefabricated house which patrons could enter and inspect.
Complete with a fitted kitchen and bathroom, the house allowed prospective homeowners to physically examine what was being offered instead of relying only on photographs, plans or promotional material.
Motor vehicles were also displayed, while banking and financial services were represented, including by the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI).
The presence of financial institutions alongside housing, vehicles, machinery and businesses was particularly relevant, since access to financing is often the bridge between a product being available and a consumer or business being able to invest in it.
Massy Distribution was among the established companies represented, while numerous smaller enterprises operated throughout the exhibition ground.
Taken together, the exhibits provided a practical snapshot of different parts of economic activity working alongside one another, from production and processing to packaging, financing, marketing, construction, retail and technology.
For smaller entrepreneurs, the value of participating can extend beyond sales made during the four-day event. The Expo provides direct access to consumers, an opportunity to receive feedback on products, establish contacts and potentially reach markets beyond their normal customer base.
But the significance of the Berbice Expo has historically extended beyond the businesses operating inside the exhibition ground.

Special Projects
Over the years, proceeds generated by the event have been channelled by the CCCC into community-development projects across Berbice, leaving tangible benefits after individual Expos have ended.
Among the major projects was the development of the Rose Hall Town Fire Station, which received financial support from proceeds generated by previous Expos and improved access to firefighting services for Rose Hall Town and surrounding communities.
Expo proceeds have also supported rehabilitation works at the Felix Austin Police Training Complex and improvements at the Albion Sports Complex and Rose Hall Canje Welfare Ground.
Schools have benefited as well, with more than $3 million from Expo proceeds used in one initiative to provide incinerators to 25 schools.
Other educational and community initiatives have also received support over the years, reflecting the Chamber’s position that successful business activity should also contribute to the communities in which businesses operate.
The use of Expo revenue for those projects gives added significance to the record number of exhibitors participating this year. The event functions as a marketplace for businesses and consumers, but its impact has also been reflected in public-safety, educational, sporting and community facilities across Berbice.
That record provides an important backdrop to the 20th staging of the event.
On opening night, the response from patrons gave organisers an immediate indication of the strength of this year’s Expo.
CCCC President Adrian Anamayah described the turnout as “spectacular” and thanked patrons and others who helped make the event possible.
The ground remained packed as live entertainment continued, children enjoyed the rides and patrons moved among the booths and interacted with exhibitors.
Anamayah also pointed to the giveaways being offered by participating companies and described the Expo as a “family event.”
The entertainment and rides helped create that family atmosphere, while the large crowds provided exhibitors with the consumer exposure that remains at the heart of a trade and commercial exhibition.
In its 20th year, the Expo therefore brought together two elements that have defined its development: an increasingly diverse commercial platform and a record of returning some of the benefits generated by the event to communities in Berbice.
The more than 150 exhibitors and 180-plus booths provided the scale. The range of businesses, products and services provided the substance — from local producers and entrepreneurs to established companies, machinery and manufacturing, financial services, housing and emerging technology.
And beyond the exhibition ground, the projects financed from previous Expo proceeds provide evidence of an event whose value has not been confined to the four days during which its gates are open.
The 20th Berbice Expo and Trade Fair concludes on Monday.