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Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday met with members of the Guyana Art and Craft Association (GACA) in a bid to see how the government could assist the industry and subsequently committed a $10M revolving fund to help small level producers.Recently elected President of the GACA, Denzil Hollingsworth, in an appeal to the President on behalf of the industry, said that they can make a meaningful contribution to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the country and asked that some policies be reviewed and implemented to assist the industry.He opined that a domestic and regional framework must be established to allow for the art and craft producers to be able to compete in the extra-regional market.Hollingsworth said that while the industry has seen some growth over the years they were appealing for assistance to sell their products in larger markets such as in Europe.The GACA President asserted that while Guyana is well represented at craft shows around the region through assistance from the development bank, they will not be able to benefit from that this year, as the show will be held in Dominica.Jagdeo promised to see what assistance the government could provide in relation to a Guyana contingent being present at that show.GACA has planned an event for February next year where producers from across the region are expected to attend.Jagdeo in his feature address to the gathering before fielding questions from the gathering said that they have to understand the nature of the markets in which they operate and share information, pointing out that the One Laptop Per Family Programme could assist in the networking of the art and craft producers locally.He assured that there are policies in place to help develop the industry and that they must familiarise themselves more with what is transpiring in the industry across the globe.The President pointed out that the past three years have seen persons cutting back spending on non-essentials and focusing more on the necessities given the global financial meltdown.He stressed that the growth of the industry goes hand in hand with a plethora of other factors which would see persons having more disposable income so that they can spend on art and craft.Jagdeo said that with the continued improvement in the economy persons will be able to spend more, but added that this is just on the domestic front. He pointed out that the producers must have an acute knowledge of what is in demand on the larger markets and also target those markets.“We have to understand the market…if we do we may be able to assess what is buoyant and what is not…if the market intelligence is not right, things could go wrong.”The President said that he realised that access to credit was a problem and he will have the Finance Minister meet with local Bankers to see if they can implement a similar initiative such as the Women of Worth Fund for persons in the art and craft industry.He asserted that from the perspective of the Government they will establish the revolving fund, even as they seek to work with the private sector to assist the industry.Jagdeo noted that there will be stringent criteria attached to the fund saying that he did not just want a few persons to benefit from it.The President also mentioned the possibility of bringing in persons to help with training, pointing out that there could be a million markets available but the quality of work has to be competitive.Following the address,Sale NFL Jerseys, there was lively interaction between the president and persons who wanted clarifications and to make suggestions.Jagdeo discussed a range of issues with the producers as well as students that were present at the forum.