Guyana could become agriculture powerhouse – Chilean Ambassador

…pledges technical assistance support

Guyana has the elements to become a powerhouse for self-sustenance and could fulfil the agricultural needs of the Caribbean region and beyond according to the Chilean Ambassador, Claudio Rojas-Rachel.
“We are of the view that Guyana has all the elements to become a powerhouse for self-sustain and sustain the entire Caribbean region in all agricultural needs. There

is vast land, excellent soil quality, water resources and then the challenge is related with technical capacity, innovation and engineering and in that process we are of the view that there is ample space for Chile to assist Guyana in terms of production capacity. We have to be sensitive in terms of globalisation that all trades have to be standardised, we need to secure food security for bigger population. We see an opportunity for Guyana there,” he said.
Ambassador Rojas-Rachel made these comments at the closing of a workshop organised by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in collaboration with the Chilean Government. The project was aimed at strengthening the functioning of the national Codex structure in Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia and Suriname.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the central part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme and was established by FAO and WHO to protect consumer health and protect fair practices in food. The Codex Alimentarius, often referred to as the “food code”, has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade.
The code has an enormous impact on the thinking of food producers and processors as well as on the awareness of the consumers. Its influence extends to every continent, and its contribution to the protection of public health and fair practices in the food trade is immeasurable, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) houses Guyana’s Codex contact point, which serves as the critical link between the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) and the National Codex Committee (NCC). Through Codex Guyana has been provided with the opportunity to attend several CAC forums and develop its Codex standards, which addresses food safety issues across borders and reduces technical trade barriers. Codex standards provides guidelines for food hygiene, the limits for food additives, residues for pesticides and veterinary drugs among other contaminants. Guyana has been a member of Codex since 1970 and the National Codex Committee was resuscitated in March of 2014.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder said Government is grateful for the support from the Chilean Government and the IICA. He said over the years, the National Codex steering committee has encountered difficulties adding that since its resuscitation in 2014, the committee has been functioning well.
“While the workshop would have discussed and delivered strategic methods for strengthening the national Codex structure of Guyana it is also a stepping stone to ensuring that quality and safe food is available to consumers,” Minister Holder said.
He added that agriculture plays a significant role in the development of Guyana and they are mandated to ensure the country is food secure, adding that the Ministry has embarked on a more structured mechanism to ensure food safety and security.
Moreover, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin said the development of standards needs more emphasis and that quality and quantity should be measured. He also advised that businesses know their markets.
“The development and use of standards is driven by the need to do business, standards can improve the quality of products by specifying certain requirements which have to be met in order to sell it, to import it or to export it. Harmonised standards can create a level playing field in which good and services can be traded internationally,” he said. “This aspect of standards need more emphasis and that our regulatory and trade facilitation agencies must have among their key performance indicators some measure of the quantity and quality of their output as facilitators of business,” Minister Gaskin added. The Codex Procedural Manual and the Codex Strategic Plan was handed over to the Ministers of Agriculture and Business at the event.