Canadians working with Guyana to improve quality of exports

There are a number of challenges faced in expanding non-traditional Guyanese exports, including the lack of infrastructure and shipping services owing in part to the current limitations of the main ports and the absence of a deepwater harbour to accommodate modern container ships.
This is according to a technical aid assessment done by the Trade Facilitation Office (TFO) of Canada, which in a joint venture with Guyana mitigated risks through a project to identify the most effective means of shipping agro-food products from Guyana to Canada.
TFO Canada has proposed a series of interventions to provide the recommended export readiness support in partnership with the Canadian Executive Service Organisation (CESO) which has been working in the agro-food sector in Guyana since 2009.
Guyana Arts and Craft Producers Association (GACPA) Public Relations Officer Charlene London mentioned that the TFO  Canada project will be providing a matching fund to assist the supported firms in obtaining the recommended certification through internationally recognised certifying bodies using local certification organisations wherever possible.
Specifically, and following a technical assistance mission to identify the particular interventions required for each participating firm, volunteer advisers were engaged to deliver in-depth support to 12 agro-food producers in the areas of post-harvest handling, good agri practices and organic certification readiness.
Providing support
Since 2010, TFO Canada has been working with local producers by providing product design and developmental support, and by assisting these companies to enter the North American market by showcasing their products at the Interior Design Trade Show, London said. She stated that TFO Canada proposes to extend its product development support for the sector by providing further product design support for approximately 12 to 15 Guyanese producers; seven from the original group and eight new ones.
The product development objective will be the advancement of new adapted products for the export market for each company which also form part of a cohesive collective of products that can be jointly marketed internationally, she revealed.
London noted that a second objective will be the establishment of an ongoing collaborative approach to product development that local designers and firms can carry on through GACPA.
A programme of seminars and workshops will deliver key points on current market knowledge, product benchmarking, and collaborative methodology for the membership. A key international retailer/buyer will also travel to Guyana pro bono to provide advisory support and input to the product development process.
A second activity will be primarily delivered as two volunteer adviser assignments in partnership with CESO. “The first assignment will be technical assistance to GACPA and companies participating in this project to establish a joint order facilitating operation so that they can market and deal with international buyers through a single entity,” London pointed out.
She mentioned that the second assignment will assist with follow up and orders in real time after the launch of the new collection. These assignments, which will generate an operational plan for the entity, and begin to implement it, will complement activities that CESO has previously undertaken, including a 2010 assignment to help local craft producers develop a business plan.