…says efforts being made to minimise food production costs
In an ongoing effort to sensitise consumers about trends in prices in markets across Guyana, the Ministry of Agriculture, through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC), will be intensifying its efforts in regard to monitoring and reporting of prices of fresh and agro-processed commodities.
This was recently disclosed by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who noted that the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NGMC) was, a few months ago, instructed to compile a daily list of market prices for fresh and agro-processed commodities. And while this process is ongoing, the programme would be intensified for the upcoming holiday season.
“We know that consumers usually have more spending power during the holiday season. More monies are spent on a variety of fresh and agro-processed commodities. A few months ago, I tasked the New GMC with providing daily market updates for major markets across the country. As we head into the Christmas Season, these efforts will be intensified so that consumers are made aware of the commodities being sold and what they are being sold for,” Mustapha explained in a statement on Wednesday.
The minister also said that while Government does not practise price control mechanisms, efforts are being made to minimize food production prices.
“While we do not practise price control in Guyana, the Government has been making interventions at all levels to minimize food production costs. From the Ministry’s standpoint, we’ve been making inputs such as seeds and other planting materials, agricultural inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers, as well as (making) livestock and poultry available to farmers. Added to that, we’ve been investing in research, climate-smart agricultural techniques, and critical infrastructure like farm-to-market roads, processing facilities, pump stations, and sluices,” the minister explained.
Mustapha has also revealed that, in December, the Ministry of Agriculture would be posting daily market prices on its social media pages as a means to guide consumers over the holiday season. He also said the ministry is exploring monitoring and sharing the prices for basic commodities in popular supermarkets across the country, and would be partnering with various Government agencies, like the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
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