A drive to export agri products is not new, it has always failed due to poor management

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56531080

A drive to export agri products is not new, it has always failed due to
poor management
Stabroek News, Tuesday, October 16th 2007

Dear Editor,

I have noted the recent news on the drive to export agri products to
buyers overseas. I wish those involved good luck. This is nothing new,
successive governments have been talking about food sufficiency and the
need to earn foreign exchange by exports. I hope the players mean
business. Throughout the years they have talked and talked, nothing got
done.

One may ask why, simple, the management and dedication was never there.
Nobody cared and the farmers suffered. I recently returned from New
York and Atlanta where hundreds of thousands of Guyanese live . In
these cities one can find small ethnic establishments that cater to the
tastes of these people. One can find hundreds of manufactured products
from Jamaica, St Lucia, Barbados and Trinidad. Guyana is represented by
a few products.

I had a first hand experience of the frustrations to get simple things
done. I had two very big guaranteed markets for hot peppers/sauces and
fresh fruits. The buyers of the hot sauces wanted over 1 million
bottles a month and they were very serious. They based their buying
volume on samples I sent, however the entities that were earmarked for
export of the same fell flat on their faces, it was most embarassing
for me to tell the buyers that Guyana cannot supply. The buyers now buy
from the Chinese to fill shelves on their 5000 supermarket outlets. The
same buyers wanted passion fruit, sapodillas, starfruit, papayas.
Today, Trinidad and Jamaica export millions of US$ in peppers/sauces.

I want to also add that the same buyers wanted 5000 hardwood panel
doors a month. The manufacturing concern was told to produce about 6-12
samples to send to the UK. I told the suppliers to bill me and have the
samples in two weeks. After over 7 weeks the factory had a few samples
ready. This is the kind of commitment I experienced and I told the
suppliers to contact me no more.

Since the days of US Ambassador Tull and the CBI seminars the same
businesses talked about exports, they are still dreaming. With the
exception of Precision Woodworking which is a very professionally run
enterprise I cannot think of another which shares its expertise and
access to buyers of distinction. Guyana will continue to export raw
materials.

Yours faithfully,

Vijay Singh