The Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) is leading another major national export push, positioning more than 50 agro-processors, farmers, and manufacturers to expand their regional footprint at AgroFest 2026, scheduled for February 27 to March 1 in Bridgetown, Barbados.
This initiative forms part of the country’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s Vision 2030 development agenda, which prioritises economic diversification, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) expansion, and deeper regional trade integration across CARICOM.
GO-Invest reported that over the past four years, Guyana’s participation at AgroFest has delivered measurable commercial outcomes, with several businesses transitioning from exhibitors to active suppliers within Barbadian supermarkets, hospitality chains, and distribution networks.
Companies such as Demerara Distillers Limited, Precision Global, Duane Trading, and DuraVilla Homes, along with several small manufacturers in the agro-processing and handicraft sectors, have established commercial relationships in Barbados.
Guyanese products are now supplied to vendors at Pelican Village and to hotels across the island, reflecting sustained market penetration supported through GO-Invest’s export development initiatives.
According to GO-Invest, Guyana’s presence at AgroFest 2026 will include more than 50 participating businesses, two 40-foot containers of Guyanese products, and a coordinated national pavilion to showcase the diversity and quality of local production.
The programme also includes structured business-to-business (B2B) meetings with distributors, retailers, and hotel buyers, alongside engagement through the AgroFest Biz-Link platform to secure contracts and repeat orders.
The mission is intentionally structured to convert exposure into export contracts and long-term distribution agreements, strengthening Guyana’s commercial presence across the Caribbean.
AgroFest 2026 directly advances the Government’s economic priorities by expanding non-oil exports, strengthening SME competitiveness, scaling value-added agriculture and manufacturing, reducing trade barriers within CARICOM, and reinforcing Guyana’s role in regional food security.
Chief Investment Officer and Agency Head of GO-Invest, Peter Ramsaroop, said the initiative is focused on results and market share.
“This is not participation for visibility. This is participation for market capture. Guyanese producers are ready to supply the region consistently and competitively. What we are witnessing is the Economy by Design being accomplished in real time, deliberate, strategic, and results-driven,” Ramsaroop stated.
Under Vision 2030, GO-Invest says diversification is not theoretical, it is operational, driven by local businesses entering regional supply chains, farmers accessing new markets, and exports expanding beyond oil.
The initiative is being executed in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Guyana Marketing Corporation, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association, and private-sector partners including Banks DIH, Blue Water Shipping, Fullworks, and Duane Trading.
