Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has disclosed plans to expand the mandate of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), which the government wants to provide a support system for local farmers, especially from far-flung areas, in finding local and regional markets for their produce.
“A continuous complaint has been lack of market and transport for the produce. What we are working out is for the GMC to work along as a support system with them, because the opportunities are there and the investors have signaled interests,” Mustapha told the Stabroek News following a visit on Wednesday to Wakenaam, in the Essequibo River.
“For example, in Wakenaam, a lot of plantain is produced and there is market for it in the region. We have had potential investors ask about opportunities and what we are looking at is getting them to go to the islands (in the Essequibo River) to see firsthand the opportunities, and GMC will have a key role in that process,” he added.
