The ‘Grow More’ campaign and the farmers data base initiative have been moving along fairly well, GMC General Manager Nizam Hassan said at a press conference Thursday.
The two initiatives were launched by the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture in light of rising food prices.
Hassan said that some 450 villages across several regions have been covered so far with an estimated 2,000 farmers already included in the database. The farmers data base is a compilation started several months ago and includes names of farmers, their location and what crop and how much of that crop they cultivate.
This is being done so that the authorities have a sound idea of who produces what, where the production is done and the amount that is garnered. The GMC will be able also to respond to investors and buyers regarding queries about what is produced where.
Hassan explained that the ‘Grow More’ campaign has two primary phases – the first is a market-led approach targeting commercial farmers and the second phase is targeting households. The distribution of some 50,000 packets of seeds to farmers and other individuals is among the measures being implemented to stem the crisis of rising food prices.
Hassan stressed that the GMC is encouraging people to plant kitchen gardens and agricultural science departments in schools can revert to the old days and cultivate crops. He said that these are all measures that can provide some relief in the present situation.
Another initiative being explored by the agriculture ministry and the GMC is temporary farmers markets where the farmers can sell directly to consumers. This would not only allow consumers to access vegetables and fruits at cheaper prices but would give the farmers a little more on their produce, since no ‘middle man’ would be involved. The GMC, however, is currently doing investigations on the best possible areas to set up those markets and will be giving feedback to the agriculture ministry shortly.
Meanwhile the GMC is appealing to farmers to make contact with them so that they can be registered in the database and also be advised on what steps to take to ‘grow more’.
Hassan emphasized that the farmers need to produce more but should do this from a market-led approach. He said that they need to be well informed about the trends of demand and supply on the market and should keep in contact with the GMC marketing officers.
These officers can be reached at phone number 226-2219 or cell phones 624-2062-66.
