Guyana Marketing Corporation

Press Release

Farmers affected by rainfall respond favorably to retail sale exercise  

The Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) today staged a retail sale exercise at its Robb and Alexander Streets location for fresh fruit and vegetable farmers, in keeping with ongoing interventions by the Ministry of Agriculture to provide support to those affected by high intensity rainfall currently being experienced.   

The retail sale was primarily tailored to facilitate farmers who, in light of the Grow More Food campaign launched last March, have increased production which may become threatened by prolonged accumulation of water. 

Farmers from several communities including, Kuru Kuru, Friendship, Caneville, Canal Number Two Polder and Parika participated in the event which saw high volumes of produce being sold at affordable prices.

Commenting on the initiative, Ramkirpaul Singh, a farmer/exporter from Canal Number Two Polder noted that the majority of his produce which included pineapples, oranges, plantain, watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes and lime were completely sold out a few hours after the sale commenced, prompting him to arrange for more produced to be delivered.

Lennox Batson, a Friendship, East Bank Demerara farmer, welcomed the opportunity to market his produce, which primarily included plantain, cassava, sweet potato and eddoe. He noted that such initiatives provide a golden opportunity for farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers, thereby assuring them a better price.

In support of this, dozens of consumers took advantage of the sale, which in addition to its competitive prices, provided an opportunity for them to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables directly from farmers who adhere to standard hygienic practices.

Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud at a recent press conference acknowledged that during the current rainy season, a disruption in vegetable production have been noted, but while data indicate there might not be a countrywide shortage, an imbalance exists in availability, particularly in city markets.
To address this problem, GMC has deployed teams to identify locations where supply has not been affected, in an effort to make provision for other areas which have seen a temporary dip.
Officers from the ministry of Agriculture’s Crops and Livestock Department have also been deployed to affected farming communities to provide assistance. .

A further $100M, as recently announced by President Bharrat Jagdeo, will be set aside for post-flood relief for affected farmers for the provision of breeding animals, seed paddy, veterinary supplies, seeds and chemicals as well as facilitating the cost of pumping water from flooded fields.

In this regard, the Ministry of Agriculture will be making supplies and resources available as a form of assistance to cushion the overall impact caused by flooding in the agricultural areas.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

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