Small agro-processing businesses in Guyana have derived, by and large, out of necessity, that is to say that they have emerged out of the need to either secure substantive employment or else, to serve as subsidies for individuals and/or families whose earned incomes are inadequate to meet their needs.
There are several definitions of agro-processing though, simply put, agro-processing is essentially the harvesting of herbs, fruit, vegetables and their application to the production of marketable food products including jams, jellies and condiments.
While high-investment agro-processing is characterised by sophisticated technologies, agro-processing is also pursued utilising minimum equipment and machinery and in many cases, none at all. Here, what comes readily to mind is the production here in Guyana of items like tamarind balls and an assortment of fruit-based beverages which can be ‘manufactured’ with little and in many instances no technological support whatsoever.
