– across Guyana
-by David Clarke
Government is considering setting up permanent farmers’ markets across Guyana as part of efforts to tackle rising food prices and give farmers more direct access to consumers.
President Irfaan Ali says the initiative could help address the gap between what farmers receive for their produce and what consumers ultimately pay.
He says Government is examining that gap as part of its response to the rising cost of living.
“So we may need to look at the creation of farmers markets across the country as a permanent part of our buying ecosystem, so that farmers have direct access to the market. So that’s another possibility,” he said.
But he says food prices are being driven by several factors, including production costs, imported inflation and changing consumer habits.
“What is happening between the farmer to the retailer? What is happening in terms of the input costs? What is happening in terms of the input costs for the farmers? How do we address that? We have already removed the VAT, removed all taxes to help reduce that input cost. We’ve given subsidies to the farmers,” he noted.
Even with these measures in place, the President says he believes the issue now requires a broader approach to what happens between the farm and the dinner table.