Sponsors come on board for inaugural coconut festival
GINA, GUYANA, October 14, 2016
Ten sponsors have come forward to help the Government host the inaugural ‘Coconut Festival’. The festival is expected to enhance awareness of the numerous household and export value of the nuts, leaves, branches and trunk of the coconut tree.
The festival which is being held under the theme “Awakening a sleeping giant” is a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Business, Department of Tourism.
Director General of Tourism, Donald Sinclair (left) and Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority Harold Singh with the sponsors of the coconut festival
This morning, Digicel Guyana, Sterling Products, Suriname Airways, New Guyana Marketing Corporation, Massy Group of Companies, National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Pomeroon Oil Mill, Go-Invest, EIKA and Farfan & Mendes donated an undisclosed sum to help make the festival a success.
Director General of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, speaking at the handing over of the donations at the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, Camp Street, said that he is extremely grateful. “Without the contribution of the sponsors, our job is made immeasurable harder so we are happy that a number of sponsors have come on board,” Sinclair stated.
According to Sinclair, Barbados, Switzerland, India, Mexico, Belize, Jamaica, Suriname and the US Virgin Island will have representatives at the Coconut Festival.
On Sunday, October 16, there will be the launching of a monument named Lady Coco at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. This is part of the festival.
Sinclair said that a woman was chosen “…to pay tribute to the women involved in the development of the coconut industry and to acknowledge their contributions.”
Harold Singh, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority noted that coconut has a lot of potential for Guyana. According to Singh, the coconut festival will be the platform to raise awareness not only on the importance of coconut but “to share expert knowledge through technical presentations from representatives who will be here from across the world.”
The Coconut Festival runs from October 21-23 at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal.
By: Isaiah Braithwaite