Farmers markets to reduce food prices- Pres Ali

Last Updated on Sunday, 27 July 2025, 21:26 by Writer

President Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced that his government would be constructing several farmers’ markets across Guyana to reduce the cost of locally produced food.

“We know that we also have to create, in a more direct way, in which our population can access low-cost produce from our farmers directly. That is why the farm to market infrastructure is important, including building out these farmers’ markets across our country so that all of our population can enjoy the price differential that the wholesaler would enjoy,” he said in a Facebook live feed.

He also said that farmers would be supported through improved farm-to-market roads, fertiliser, drainage and irrigation, and specific financing, as well as packaging and drying facilities.

Both Dr Ali’s People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC)-led administration and the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) have promised to reduce the cost of living by increasing food production. The Alliance For Change is proposing the establishment of a broad-based task force to explore ways of reducing food prices.

The President also announced that the price of cooking gas would eventually drop to GY$1,000 per cylinder, as part of a poverty reduction strategy.

“With the gas project coming on stream, cooking gas is going to come down substantially. We are targeting a cylinder of cooking gas at $1,000. Now, that, again, is another essential item that will reduce poverty, that will save for the household,” he said.

Currently, the price of a 20-pound cylinder of cooking gas is just under GY$5,000.

The government has already promised to reduce the cost of electricity by 50 percent when the 300 megawatt gas to energy project is completed by mid-2026.

Dr Ali again urged Guyanese not to limit their expectations to merely wages and salary increases, cash grants and pensions, as “those are things that we are already doing” and would continue to address vulnerabilities. They include removing the cost of education in the areas of transportation, eight CXC subjects, free subjects, and expanded school feeding programme and the construction of new school science laboratories.

Making a clear pitch to “poorer families and the vulnerable families”, ahead of the September 1 general and regional elections, the President said his government would be providing more subsidies to assist with the construction of their homes. He said commercial banks would be asked to reduce interest rates for low income ad poorer segments of the society.

APNU proposes, in its campaign, to subsidise electricity tariffs of GY$11,000 and water tariff of GY$6,000 to GY$1,000 for both. Other promises included improved school feeding, provision of free transportation to school children, 35 percent increase in public servants salaries, increased old age pensions, rent-t0-own housing programmes, and small business financing.