─ Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics first company approved
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, M.P, announced that all exported products will now carry the ‘Made in Guyana’ stamp of approval from the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).
She made this revelation during a certification ceremony to Fibre Tech Industrial Plastics at Agriculture Road, East Coast Demerara on Monday.
The manufacturing company is the first to obtain the right to carry the approval on their locally produced goods, following participation in the five-month certification programme through GNBS.
“It is my pleasure to recognise and commend you [Fibre Tech] for your pioneering achievement. I think by being the first to achieve this certification you have a certain interest of ensuring the success of this ‘Made in Guyana’ brand for which our ambition is that it earns a national, regional and global reputation for quality,” she stated.
The development of the Made in Guyana certification was conceived to obtain certain objectives to develop Guyana’s local manufacturing capacity.
The mark will guarantee that all items manufactured have 60 percent of local material input and have been produced by a company that has at least 70 percent Guyanese labour force. The mark will also assure consumers of the quality of the items being manufactured in Guyana.
‘It is through this two-fold strategy of product certification and local content recognition that we see the ‘Made in Guyana’ certification mark eventually contributing to international competitiveness for authentic Guyanese products. The certification programme will also provide a frame work for the development of quality systems within our local companies pushing Guyanese businesses to the forefront of quality on a national, regional and international level,” said the tourism minister.
The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) approached the GNBS to develop the mark. Meanwhile, all manufacturing companies are encouraged to participate in the programme to achieve the mark of approval.