Several members of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), led by Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Mr. Brian Edwards, on Tuesday, October 17, took part in Guyana’s first Agriculture Symposium, which was held on October 17 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Held under the theme “Opportunities in Agriculture through Innovation and Collaboration” the Symposium saw over 130 participants taking part in the interactive session which featured discussions sessions on access to finance, access to market, and climate smart agriculture initiatives.

The feature address at the event was delivered by the Minister of Agriculture, the Honorable Zulfikar Mustapha, who commended the Symposium as a creative initiative that brought together a wide variety of stakeholders in the agriculture sector to advance innovative ideas to move the agriculture sector forward. Minister Mustapha thanked the GCCI for working along with the Ministry of Agriculture and for being part of strengthening the public private partnership between government and the private sector in agriculture.

Also making remarks at the event, Mr. Edwards described the Symposium as a pivotal initiative in a collective journey towards a more sustainable and prosperous agriculture sector in Guyana. The Symposium was organised by the GCCI and the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders.

Aside from GCCI and WUSC, other stakeholders taking part in the event included the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Guyana Food Service Authority (GFSA), Pesticide Toxic Chemicals and Control Board (PTCCB), Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA), Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Fisheries, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), and Small Business Bureau (SBB).