Agri. Ministry to intensify efforts to monitor market prices as holiday season approaches

In an ongoing effort to sensitize consumers about price trends in markets across Guyana, the Ministry of Agriculture through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC) will be intensifying its monitoring and reporting of the prices in fresh and agro-processed commodities.

This was recently disclosed by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha.

Minister Mustapha noted that a few months ago, the New GMC was instructed to compile a list detailing daily market prices for fresh and agro-processed commodities.

He explained that while this process is ongoing, the programme will be intensified for the upcoming holiday season.

“We know that consumers usually have more spending power during the holiday season. More monies are spent on a variety of fresh and agro-processed commodities. A few months ago, I tasked the New GMC with providing daily market updates for major markets across the country. As we head into the Christmas Season, these efforts will be intensified so that consumers are made aware of the commodities being sold and what they are being sold for,” Minister Mustapha explained.

The minister also said while the government does not exercise price control mechanisms, efforts are being made to minimize food production prices.

“While we do not practice price control in Guyana, the government has been making interventions at all levels to minimize food production costs. From the Ministry’s standpoint, we’ve been making inputs such as seeds and other planting materials, agricultural inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers as well as livestock and poultry available to farmers. Added to that, we’ve been investing in research, climate-smart agricultural techniques, and critical infrastructure like farm-to-market roads, processing facilities, pump stations, and sluices,” he added.

Minister Mustapha said that come December, the Ministry will be posting daily market prices on its social media pages to guide consumers over the holiday season. He also said that the ministry was also exploring monitoring and sharing the prices for basic commodities in popular supermarkets across the country and will be partnering with various government agencies like the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce (Ministry of Agriculture press release)