Certification positions Bath Settlement farmer for bigger, better markets
Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice farmer Dhaniram Ramchand can anticipate the addition of further value to his farm following its certification six months ago by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), a department of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute.
Certification is a voluntary process that entails the inspection and audit of agricultural practices to ensure the production of safe, healthy, wholesome food for local and international markets. These practices provide the assurance of the production of quality products, creating opportunity for securing higher prices on both the local and international markets.
The procedure for certification entails the acquisition and completion of an application form, which is available at the office of the NPPO. The NPPO and the farmer then agree on a date to carry out the first of a series of farm inspections. Inspections continue until the farm realizes the desired standard, following which a report is submitted to NPPO Management Committee recommending its certification of the farm. Once approved, the farm is certified for one year and subjected to periodic unannounced inspections.
Certification has become particularly important given the role it plays in positioning the country to consolidate its status as the bread basket of the Caribbean. Equally significant, is the role that farm certification plays in helping local farm produce meet the higher food safety standards being demanded by North American and European markets as exemplified in the United States’ 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act.
Having local farms certified not only helps to guarantee market retention but also to secure access to valuable niche markets. Among the countries in the region that require farm certification as a pre-requisite for importation of farm produce from Guyana are Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago.
Guyana’s agricultural produce has also been securing encouraging market traction in North America, Europe and other Caribbean countries where Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) is steadily becoming an integral part of the food import requirement. Farm certification is therefore playing a critical role in assisting Guyana to maintain its agricultural profile.
Ramchand has no short-term plans to export his produce; however, he is targeting the growing number of high-end supermarkets that are springing up across the country. Having worked overtime to meet the criteria of proper farm sanitation, hygienic conditions for workers, traceability and protection from stray animals, he has finally realized his goal. His farm, which comprises two greenhouse, and three shade houses equipped with drip irrigation systems, has become a model for shaded cultivation in Region Five. His main crops include bell pepper, celery and tomato.
“Farming under shaded cultivation is one of the best decisions I have made,” Ramchand said. His 600 bell pepper plants yield around 3,000 pounds of peppers per crop. The Berbice farmer is confident about the quality of his produce.
Now that product certification has enhanced the standing of his farm, Ramchand said he is seeking to gravitate directly to supplying produce to supermarkets and restaurants, circumventing the middlemen with whom he used to do business. He said the farm certification has already allowed him to negotiate directly with a local supermarket. “I encourage my fellow farmers to have their farms certified. It doesn’t cost to have your farm certified. In fact it provides more opportunities,” he said.