Guyana Shop celebrates 11th Anniversary

Oct 19, 2023 News

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…boasts of marketing over 3000 local manufactured products

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Shop which currently markets and assisting in developing over 3000 locally manufactured products, on Wednesday celebrated its 11^th Anniversary at its Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda location.

The Shop which opened back in 2012 is headed by the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC). The Shop’s mandate is to promote local products and sensitise the public on local products. At a simple ceremony yesterday to commemorate its existence, General Manager (GM) of the GMC, Teshawna Lall said that the milestone plays a pivotal role as it allows them to reflect on their accomplishment and collectively plan for the future.

The General Manager stated that the Shop, which is a nourishing platform for marketing Guyana’s agro -processed food items, not only offers a valuable marketing and sales to support agriculture but it also collaborates with various departments of GMC, improving the marketing of the Agri-Business Development Unit as well as other projects.

“The goal is to ensure that all locally manufactured agro-processed products meet international standards. It serves as an excellent breeding ground for the emerging entrepreneurs to develop, launch and expand their agriculture business ventures through a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust and confidence,” she said.

According to Ms. Lall, since 2012, the Guyana Shop has been instrumental in the development, marketing and sales of over 3022 locally manufactured products. She noted that there are 24 categories under which this fall, and that there is currently 235 manufacturers or agro-processors registered with the GMC.

The GM went onto state that the agro-processing industry is an increasingly important one, impacting the livelihoods of thousands of Guyanese by providing employment opportunities particularly for the women and youths. The GMC benefits not only agro-processors but farmers, supermarkets, exporters and even the country’s economy as a whole, she mentioned.

To this end, Ms. Lall encouraged agro-processors and consumers to take advantage of all of the services the GMC offers. “Let me remind you that we are a start-to-finish agency where we assist you on how to get your products started from label designs, nutritional facts, preservatives and even packaging materials, but we don’t stop there we take your products to the next level by selling it to the Guyana Shop for you and even distribute throughout the country,” she explained.

Ms. Lall mentioned that: “as we reflect on our achievement at the Guyana Shop, allow me to extend my congratulations and gratitude to our agro-processors whose innovation and dedication have fueled the rapid growth of the industry.”

Through their innovation and dedication, she added that today, there is a wide array of agro –processed products including traditional foods, processed foods, fresh juices, and other items such as beauty care products, crafts, candles, non alcoholic beverages, local wines, over the counter pharmaceuticals, cleaning agents and much more.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha in brief remarks congratulated the Guyana Shop on its anniversary and said that: “this shop is a true testament to the government’s commitment in taking agriculture to new heights.” He highlighted that they are not only celebrating the 11^th Anniversary of the Guyana Shop but are celebrating the achievement of all the agro-processors, all the farmers in the country and the entire Guyanese population.

The minister noted that he is impressed with the products coming out of the agro-processing industry in Guyana and that they are almost comparable to imports the country tend to import. During his speech he also made mention that Guyana over the years, has been a primary-product produced country where the country normally exports and sell those products. This he said, the government is looking to move away from.

“When we sold the oranges or we sold the cherries we in turn purchase back the juices, and as a government we want to move away from primary production only, we want to add value to our products and we want to bring a new kind of development not only into the urban areas but areas across the country,” he explained.

The minister said over the years there has been an increase in budgetary allocations to the New GMC, noting that the entity receives its fair share of investment. “As I am speaking here today, we have agro-processing facilities in different parts of our country and in different regions of our country. We have in Regions1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and we are now building one in Region 7 and in another year from now, we will have one in Region 8,” he said. According to the minister, the government’s intention is that by 2025 all the regions will have agro-processing facilities producing locally produced products.

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• Bourda, food, Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Robb and Alexander Streets, Teshawna Lall

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