Guyana, one of the flagship countries of ‘Alliances for Action’ project – Int. Consultant

DPI, GUYANA, Monday, March 26, 2018

“We are developing the Alliances for Action here in Guyana, in order to build the world value chain and industry of coconut. We want to put together, processers and producers and all the other actors for the value chain, trying to improve what can be improved and tackle all the challenges, in order to increase the benefits of other smaller producers and SME’s (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises).” said

This was according to International Consultant at the International Trade Centre, Francesco Beggiato, during his address at a five-day training and technical assistance course for the Guyana Coconut Industry and Inspectorate. The workshop, held on March 15, at the Grand Coastal Hotel, was in response to a recent threat to the Coconut Water Industry when a shipment of Rooster Fresh Pomeroon Coconut Water was refused entry by the Port of Spain authorities in Trinidad.

Dubbed Alliances for Action, the International Trade Centre (ITC), Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI), and national stakeholders have built on the coconut sector, roadmaps to identify specific geographic areas where coconut farmers and the processors have substantial potential to connect to international value chains.

“We are working along the world value chain on coconut. We are working with producers, processors and retail markets to develop the local, national, regional and international value chain and to develop Guyana and the Caribbean in the coconut industry at the international level,” Beggiato said.

The project partners will deliver technical assistance to farmers, processors and support institutions, in aims of identifying key constraints and working together to solve problems along the value chain.

“In the following weeks and months we are starting several training courses with farmers on agricultural practices with the help of CARDI, National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute [NAREI], Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) on food safety, the Food and Drug Department and of course the ITC, to understand what role Guyana can play and how we can increase the benefits from the potential that the coconut is having in the international market, the coconut water in particular,” Beggiato continued.

With the training, producers of coconut can assist in developing the potential of the industry, regionally and internationally. Currently, the aforementioned parties are working with producers and processers on the East Coasts of Regions Four and Five, the Pomeroon in Region Two, and Linden in Region 10, in order to understand what is missing in the linkages between the actors in the industry and what can be improved, and the challenges and potential for disaster.

Through the Alliances for Action framework, the ITC is working to build stakeholder capacity, secure investment and generate business to develop sustainable, inclusive and resilient value chains in the coconut sector across the Caribbean. The framework is also designed to be replicated in other geographical areas. The ITC will continue to arrange interactions and build networks among farmers, processors, national and international support institutions, interested buyers and potential investors with the aim of drawing in more partners to support inclusive rural development.

 

By: Stephon Gabriel