By Staff Writer
The Guyana Shop which is managed by the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC), celebrated its ninth anniversary today. The establishment has served as one of the nation’s key one-stop shops for locally made products.
During his remarks at the event, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha reflected on the evolution of agro-processing from the business perspective as he noted that the subsector is gaining prominence as a revenue earner with significant potential.
“…When we look at our agro-processors and our country’s agro-processing capabilities, over the years, it has evolved into a business that is taking the Caribbean by storm. Nine years ago, there were only a few persons involved in agro-processing. Today, there are a number of persons involved in agro-processing as is evident by the hundreds of nicely packaged commodities available on the shelves,” expressed the Agriculture Minister.
The Minister was keen to note that one of the objectives of the government is to ensure it develops this aspect of the agriculture sector. Towards this end, he noted that this year, the New GMC will be building several new agro-processing facilities across the country. These facilities will be built in both urban and rural parts of the country such as the deep south of Region Nine, Black Bush Polder in Region Six, Region Ten, and on the Essequibo Coast.
He further disclosed that, as Chairman of the Ministerial Taskforce set up by CARICOM to address issues relating to agriculture among member states, he has been working to address the many barriers to trade that are affecting Guyanese agro-processors and producers.
“We are building these facilities because there are many persons who want to get involved in these types of activities. Earlier today, I discussed with a company that is interested in working with about 50 agro-processors to help them develop their business. So you can see that this government is taking this aspect of agriculture very seriously…,” Minister Mustapha added.
Minister Mustapha also stated that the New GMC has been tasked with developing innovative ideas to have more Guyana Shop corners established across the country.
General Manager of the New GMC, Teshawna Lall said despite the ongoing global pandemic, the Guyana Shop was able to expand on its line of products and establish additional facilities across the country. She noted that the Guyana Shop has more than 600 different product lines and 120 agro-processers in its portfolio.
“Despite the pressures of Covid19, we managed to add 39 products and 14 new agro-processors (to our list). We also saw the addition of 60 over-the-counter (OTC) products from Twins Manufacturing and the New GPC. To top off the ending of a great year, we were successful in establishing four new Guyana Shop Corners,” Lall said.
The Guyana Shop is located at the corner of Robb and Alexander Streets, Bourda and carries products ranging from sauces, dried fruits, seasonings, laundry detergents, and cosmetics just to name a few.
