Bigger, better Farmers’ Markets being organized
The Ministry of Agriculture through its organizing committee is planning to host more Farmers’ Markets on the East Bank of Demerara and Regions Two and Three. This decision followed the success of the three events hosted to date at the Lusignan Market tarmac, ECD, Albion Estate road in Region Six and at the Arthur Chung Conference Center during the inaugural Agri-Investment Forum and Expo.
In a statement on Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha was quoted saying; “Every time we host a farmers’ market, we try to have more than what we had at the previous one. The first one was a huge success but many people who came out late missed out. The second one was even bigger because we had fishermen participating. The third one was also huge because we had a wider variety of products on sale. So, it’s always about taking it up a notch.”
The activity commenced in direct response to the increased prices for fresh fruits and vegetables on the markets as it links farmers directly to consumers, thereby reducing the markups prices along the supply chain.
In terms of location, Minister Mustapha said that the committee was considering several factors to ensure the logistical aspect was done correctly. Considering the successes of the other farmers’ markets, Minister Mustapha explained that the upcoming farmers’ markets will be bigger and better.
Minister Mustapha said that the committee is looking to have the next farmers’ market sometime in October, which is also Agriculture Month.
The government, in recognizing the spike in food costs while prices reflected at the farm gate remain low, outlined several initiatives in its 2022 Budget to ease those imposed burdens.
Just two weeks after the passage of the 2022 Budget in the National Assembly, the Ministry of Agriculture hosted its first farmers’ market at the Lusignan Market Tarmac, East Coast Demerara.
The initiative attracted hundreds and benefitted both farmers and consumers in and out of the Demerara-Mahaica district. The exercise allowed farmers to find ready markets for their produce and gave consumers the advantage of buying directly from the farmers.
