Fresh from the latest round of deliberations with government at a High-Level Round Table involving at least four Cabinet Ministers including Finance Minister Winston Jordan, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, the delegation representing the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) says that one of the “immediate solutions” to the challenges facing the local manufacturing sector could be to have a greater share of public procurement sourced from local agro processors providing the product is available and of suitable quality and competitive price”. Closely linked to this would be the implementation of the Small Business Act requirement of 20% of small business sourcing by government,” the GMSA says
Stabroek Business has seen a statement issued by the GMSA earlier this week itemizing some of the outcomes of the May 9th Second Inter Ministerial public/private Round Table, focusing on the agro-processing sector, at the Ministry of Finance.
The GMSA’s urging that the 20% allocation of public procurement to the small business sector be hastened comes in the wake of increasing complaints from local agro-processors regarding what they say is the unchanging preference among local businesses for importing agro produce from North America and some Caribbean territories, particularly Trinidad and Tobago.
