Agro-processors complete training to improve product quality

A number of local agro-processors now have better knowledge of the criterion needed to meet international standards for agro-processed foods. This is following the completion of a four-day training workshop, at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, hosted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which focused on education requirements for agro-processing and marketing.

The session, which ran from February 18 to 21, wrapped up with Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy delivering remarks to participants. The training facilitated by the Agriculture Ministry, with support from the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) and the Health Ministry’s Food and Drug Administration, saw participants drawn from over 50 agro-processing industries, being schooled in the ‘better process control’ school; which offers the FAO and the USFDA certified training for agro-processors and manufacturers.
“This was the first better process control school hosted in Guyana and it has signalled an important step for Guyana,” Minister Ramsammy said. He added: “The better process control school is our way of saying that Guyana wants to be a part of the international trade market.” The minister said that export and tapping into the international markets are important to Guyana’s development.
“We will forever be poor if we produce for ourselves… if we want to realise our ambition of being rich and our dream of our people having a rich life, we have to be able to tap into the… international market out there,” he said.
Minister Ramsammy said, however, that to export, Guyana must first be able to meet the export standard requirements of the international markets.
“Unless we meet the sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures and agreement of these countries, we will always remain small and poor… our sights must be fixed on part of Caricom, North American and Asian markets.”
Government is prepared to create awareness, educate and train persons towards having the highest standard of agro-processed products in Guyana. The ministry will continue to facilitate more training as it seeks to lift the level of standards and create a cadre of trained personnel in the field that will promote these standards in the different agro-processing companies.
The workshop was conducted by two specialists from the Washington University States; Food Processing Specialist Dr Richard Dougherty and Food Safety Specialist and School of Food Science Professor Dr Karen Killinger. Washington State University has been approved by the FAO to offer the ‘better process control’ school module.
According to Dougherty, two-thirds of the participants that undertook the training successfully completed it.
The government of Guyana through the Agriculture Ministry and other sister agencies has been working assiduously with the FAO and other agencies to ensure that agro-products are meeting international standards.