Agriculture Ministry’s Farmers’ Market deemed a massive success

On Sunday, consumers from villages and communities along the East Coast of Demerara
corridor were the first to benefit from the Agriculture Ministry’s Farmers’ Market Day.
The event, which was held at the Lusignan Market Tarmac, served as a one-stop shop for persons
looking to purchase farm-fresh produce at a minimal cost. It was noted that farmers who usually
sell their produce to middlemen who then sell to market and shop vendors traveled from as far as
Mahaicony to take advantage of selling their produce directly to the consumers. This way, it was
noted that both the farmers and the consumers were able to benefit from better prices.
While commenting on the objective and successes of the market day, Agriculture Minister
Zulfikar Mustapha stressed that the activity served to assist consumers with cushioning the high
cost of basic commodities, all while granting them access to farm-fresh fruits and vegetables.
“This is one of the measures that the PPP/C Government has put in place to assist both the
farmers and the consumers. We spoke about this in the budget and we are already implementing
it. We will be hosting similar activities across the country so consumers can rest assured that the
Ministry of Agriculture and the Government of Guyana will continue to implement measures to
help them to cushion the high cost of these items. Our farmers are producing but sometimes they
too are not able to benefit from the best prices for their produce. So when we organize these
activities, both the farmers and the consumers stand to benefit from the direct link to the market.
The response has been tremendous and persons can rest assured that this will not be a one-off
activity. We will be hosting similar activities in every part of the country from as early as next
week. These activities will also be done simultaneously so you may find farmers’ markets
happening in Region Two and Region Six at the same time,” Mustapha said.

One farmer from Mahaicony Creek who was at the farmers’ market said that he was happy to be
a part of the activity. The cash crop farmer pointed out that the turnout was tremendous, adding
that he will be taking advantage of other market days in the future. Meanwhile, Jasmaine Payne,
a teacher who traveled from Buxton to benefit from the reduced prices, said the exercise had a
wider variety of products than she would see when she visited the regular market during the
week. While relating her experience, Payne revealed that prices were very affordable and
thanked the government for implementing the initiative.
Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh during his 2022 Budget presentation, disclosed that the
government will be hosting monthly farmers’ markets across the country to help farmers find
ready markets for their produce and help consumers benefit from the price advantage of buying
directly from the farmer. In addition to farm-fresh commodities, consumers were also able to
purchase a variety of agro-processed commodities at reduced prices.
Some of the products that were on sale included tomatoes, plantains, pumpkins, coconuts,
passion fruits, eggs, pork, chicken, mutton, cow’s milk, celery, sweet potatoes, eddoes, coconut
oil, plantain flour, and a wide range of sauces and spices.