Guyana partnering with Massy, Bloomberg to expand export market

As efforts to expand the country’s export market continue, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said collaborations with Massy Distribution Inc. and Bloomberg are underway.

This week, Massy Distributions Inc. (Guyana) placed a pepper jelly on its shelves, a move that signifies the growing partnership between the company and local food producers. The jelly is a product of the Agricultural Innovation and Entrepreneurship Programme (AIEP), an initiative by the Government of Guyana to create pathways for agriculturists.

Mustapha during his remarks said the country’s goal of achieving food security by 25 per cent by 2030 is being supported by crucial partnerships.

He said discussions between the ministry and Massy are focused on ensuring more local products being placed on the shelves of supermarkets across the Caribbean region. There is also talk of having the prawns project at Onverwagt, Region Five, distributed by the supermarkets.

“These are things that we never did before and we are doing it now, that makes us a country where we want to realise our full potential to once again be that bread basket,” Mustapha said.

Another massive partnership is the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will be signed with Bloomberg Grain soon. President Dr Irfaan Ali first made the announcement earlier this month while speaking about the government’s efforts to support the agriculture sector. The MOU is for the purpose of marketing and branding a food hub being built at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

“We will build that food hub so that we can export a number of commodities across the various Caribbean countries so that we can reduce that food import bill,” he said.

Additionally, the shade house project is being replicated across the country to complement the country’s ability to produce on a larger scale. Mustapha said the young people are more involved in these projects because the sector is becoming more inclusive for youths to benefit.