President Irfaan Ali on Friday urged regional conglomerate Ansa McAL to use its extensive distribution network to promote Guyanese products throughout the Caribbean, calling for stronger corporate support for local farmers and agro-processors.
Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony for the new Chateau Margot Mall, Ali said Guyana had invested heavily in agro-processing and packaging and that it was time for regional partners to help bring those products to wider markets.
“Ansa McAL has the greatest distribution footprint in the region; your products are in every supermarket.
I challenge Ansa McAL today, with the support of the Guyana Marketing Corporation, to distribute in every one of your supermarkets Guyanese products,” Ali said.
The president urged the company to remove barriers preventing Guyanese goods from reaching markets such as Trinidad and Tobago and to work with local agencies on a strategy to help small producers grow.
“Our small farmers must be able to say Ansa McAL means something to me. I am disappointed every time I go and Guyanese products are not on the shelf,” he added.
Ali said Guyana had made major contributions to regional development and now expected Caribbean partners to reciprocate by supporting local industries.
“You must remove those barriers in Trinidad and Tobago that keep our goods off your shelves. Trinidad is our brother, sister and friend. We have simplified doing business in Guyana. Let us work with you,” he said.
He also highlighted the role of the Guyana Marketing Corporation in consolidating shipments to help small producers access regional markets, stressing that Guyana seeks genuine investment in the value chain.
“We don’t want Guyana to be looked at only as a retail centre. We want investment in the value chain. If we don’t get the support, we have no choice but to build the infrastructure ourselves,” Ali said.
Ansa McAL Chairman Norman Sabga welcomed the challenge and proposed joint initiatives to support local producers.
“I would like to suggest that our team and your people develop it jointly – whether as a farmers’ market, a volleyball or basketball court, and maybe booths where indigenous people can showcase their products,” Sabga said.
He noted that Guyanese rice was already part of Ansa McAL’s distribution system and said the company would move to expand shipments of locally made goods to its regional outlets.
“I applaud the level of inspiration of the government wanting to work with businesses to grow the fortunes of the country for its people. When a country prospers, everybody prospers,” Sabga said.
The post Ansa McAl backs President Ali’s call to place Guyanese products on Caribbean shelves appeared first on News Room Guyana.
