Berbice Expo & Trade Fair 2023 launched

The Berbice Expo and Trade Fair, which is in its 17th year, was officially launched on Friday at the headquarters of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC), Rose Hall Town, Berbice.
This year the expo will be held from October 13-17 at the Welfare Community Ground at Rose Hall, East Canje, under the theme, “Fostering Sustainable Economic Growth and Food Security”.
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond in launching the expo related that the theme is applicable to the Government’s strategic approach, as it addresses three pillars of the Government’s policies.
She said as a people, we must ensure that practices are sustainable for food security.
“The pandemic has taught us that we need to be able to feed ourselves and be able to reduce our import bill.” She added that Guyanese must not only practice sustainability in food but also in the tourism sector.
She referred to Guyana’s eco-tourism as being golden since there will come a time when exploits from the oil and gas sector will no longer be available and as such, the country will have its rainforest through which the tourism sector can strive and bring an income to the country.
She said activities such as Berbice Expo and Trade Fair brings together vendors, small and large businesses and the community with the main aim of energising the economy.
Minister Walrond further added that the Palmyra development plan is aimed at bringing sustainable economic growth to the region.
“The stadium is to bring visitors here… the new hotels and roads will bring sustainable economic activity here. When visitors come to the region to go to the stadium, they come and they spend their money and that is what will help to sustain the local economy. The bridge between Suriname and Guyana is to open up more economic opportunities and so economic growth is strategically important.”
However, President of Corentyne Chambers of Commerce, Leekha Rambrich pointed out that Berbice Expo and Trade Fair is a good example of Public Private Partnership (PPP).
He pointed out that the Government has played a big role in the past, which is evidence that the Government and the private sector can partner to develop a community and to an extent the country.
According to Rambrich, the Chamber is confident that this year’s event will be a success, noting that the Chamber has hosted 16 expos before.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the event, Tajpaul Adjodhea, explained that due to the lack of space, this year’s exposition will be smaller than previous years, while noting that the past events were held at the Albion Community Centre, where there is a lot more space.
Nevertheless, corporate Guyana has already shown its interest in the event. “Exhibitors are asking for five 20 x 20 and four 20 x 20 booths. I don’t think that we can accommodate five 20 x 20 for one exhibitor. We will see what best we can do,” he explained.
In addition to the local exhibitors, some international ones are also on board.