GEORGETOWN, Guyana – With the countdown to elections ticking, the Ali administration is turning up the heat on food prices, this time by promising a countrywide rollout of government-backed farmers’ markets to bring fresh produce straight from the fields to the people.
President Dr Irfaan Ali on Sunday said the move is part of a larger plan to tackle the soaring cost of living and put more food on the table at prices families can afford. He framed the initiative as a way to cut out the middlemen, slash markups, and give ordinary Guyanese access to what he called “wholesale-level” prices for everyday produce.
For many, it could mean fewer painful trips to the market, where high prices have become the norm.
“We have to create a direct link between our farmers and the population,” Ali said during a livestream. “We’re building the infrastructure to make that happen, from roads to markets, so that the price you see isn’t inflated by the long chain it usually passes through.”
The plan goes beyond just setting up tents or stalls. It includes new farm-to-market roads to speed up delivery, better drainage and irrigation systems to support year-round farming, and improved access to fertiliser and financing. The government also wants to equip farmers with packaging and drying facilities, a move that could boost shelf life and reduce spoilage, especially in rural areas.
The timing of the announcement is no coincidence. With the September 1 General and Regional Elections around the corner, political parties are scrambling to win over voters who are still reeling from global price shocks and local supply chain struggles.
While the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is pushing these direct-to-consumer markets as part of its food security drive, the opposition isn’t sitting quietly. The APNU, led by the People’s National Congress Reform, has also promised to ramp up food production. The AFC, for its part, is calling for a task force to take a hard look at long-term solutions to rising prices.
Still, the image of farmers selling fresh produce directly to shoppers at state-supported markets is likely to resonate, especially in working-class communities where groceries eat up a large chunk of monthly income.
Whether the markets will be up and running before ballots are cast remains to be seen. But in the battle for votes, the race to bring down food prices just got personal, and political.
