The Tele-communications Ministry, in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, on Tuesday launched a website dubbed FarmersMarket.gy to help farmers sell their produce on both the local and international markets.
The trading platform will enable farmers to buy and sell fresh fruits and vegetables for now. In the near future, the Farmers Market App will be extended to include the marketing of livestock, poultry, fish and dairy.
Farmers will, however, have to be certified by the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) by proving their goods are of an exceptional standard.
A representative from the Agriculture Ministry explained that the farm certification means that the Agriculture Ministry, or NAREI, in particular, are providing the assurance that the produce being exported or traded are of the highest quality. This assurance also extends to the face that the products would have passed through a certification programme that ensures that it is free from pests and diseases.
The representative explained that the Agriculture Ministry’s NAREI branch will be responsible for visiting farmers and advising them to ensure they meet the requirements for certification. The representative stressed the importance of certification, as he alluded to the point that the Ministry is seeking to market these goods on the international front.
Meanwhile, the Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, pointed out the importance of the App, as she highlighted that some parts of the world are struggling to produce their own food
“The most important thing about this App too is it lets us know what’s on demand (so) who in Miami, who in Canada is looking for what”.
The Minister said the App will help farmers to properly choose a crop to plant based on the demands of the public, rather than planting on presumptions.
This will reduce the occurrence of spoilage and more importantly, revenue loss.
It was also explained that several international firms are already looking to purchase goods from Guyana on a large scale. Hughes encouraged farmers to team up to meet the demands of those customers, rather than decline to supply the items based on its possible “larger scale”.
The new App was developed by 2017’s winner of the Ministry’s Hackathon, Innovative Systems.
