South Rupununi communities complete Nine years of “August Games”- Residents longing for media exposure of sporting activities-
Georgetown , GINA, September 03, 2004
Nine years ago, six hinterland communities in the South Rupununi of Region Nine, commonly called the South Rupununi Savannahs, began an annual sporting event, popularly known by residents as “August Games”.
The idea for the games, which began in 1995, was originally that of Adrian Gomes, Headmaster of the Aishalton Secondary School and Tony James, Toshao of the Aishalton Amerindian community.
Recently, Patrick Gomes, Chairperson of the District Toshaos Council in the South Rupununi visited the Government Information Agency (GINA) to explain the details of this year's activities which were wrapped up on August 22. Gomes, on behalf of the six communities, Aishalton, Maruranau, Shea, Karadarnau, Achiwib and Warewanau, said that the communities have been taking part in the games for nine years and have been longing for media exposure of the activities.
He pointed out that each year, the event is successful, though some villages may miss participating but this year, 2004, it was extremely special as all six communities competed, with the winning teams receiving trophies. Noting too that both male and female residents take part in the games, he said that it is a way of showing how residents of all the villages get along with each other.
The activities usually include football and volleyball matches, archery, cycle racing, 10 kilometres road racing, macru-stripping, basket-weaving, and the indigenous Wapishana ritual of ‘ants-stinging'.
Trophies are usually provided by each Village Council and interested donors. Villagers expect that next year's event would be even bigger than this year's as it would be ten years since the games began.
At the end of this year's event, both male and female volleyball teams of Aishalton emerged winners in the final match played against the villages of Shea and Warewanau. The village's male team also won the final football match against Karadanau while the Maruranau female cricket team won their semi-final match against Karadanau.
Maruranau was successful at the games as well with its female football team emerging winners of the final match played against Aishalton.
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Workplace inspections carried out on the Essequibo Coast - breaches found
Georgetown , GINA, September, 03, 2004
A team of Government officials, comprising Officers of the Ministry of Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Officers, Customs Officers, and National Insurance Scheme Inspectors recently carried out a series of workplace inspections on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) where a number of breaches were found.
The team carried out sixty inspections on August 30 and 31, and officials at the Ministry disclosed that owners of businesses inspected should receive letters with details of the breaches found on their premises. They will be advised by the Ministry on measures to be put in place to correct breaches.
Businessmen who fail to apply these measures will be prosecuted.
The inspections form part of the Ministry's initiative to step up its campaign on Occupational Safety and Health in the workplace, which includes sensitizing workers and employers to the issue and correcting flaws detected.
The breaches include inadequate wages registers, employees not being granted annual leave with pay, several occupational hazards, licenses not being displayed and payments being made that are below the stipulated minimum wage. The Ministry noted too that a school-age child was found working.
According to the Ministry, a seminar is being planned for the following week to sensitize employers of the Stabroek Market to Occupational Safety and Health and other issues regarding the workplace.
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Vital sugar meeting set for later this month
Georgetown , GINA, September 3, 2004.
A meeting of CARICOM stakeholders on proposals for the reform of the European Union Sugar Regime is scheduled for Georgetown , September 15-16.
According to a release from the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Head of the European Commission's Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Ambassador Amos Tincani, in a recent interview, stated that "there is still a margin of possibility" that Caribbean countries can convince the EU to delay proposed changes to its sugar regime.
"What is on the table is the proposal by the European Commission and of course the Council of Ministers of our member States has to take a decision. We don't have the decision yet. I would say within the political negotiation there is still a margin of possibility to adapt the level to a precise level or the timing to make it a little longer. This is part of the negotiations. But I would say, on the whole, that it is better to proceed now with the changes," Tincani is quoted as telling the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
The release also quoted Tincani as saying that what the European Commission is trying to do is not to move totally towards free trade, but to try to have a half-way step towards more liberalisation.
The European Commission proposes to reform the Sugar Regime by cutting the price offered to suppliers under the African, Caribbean and Pacific/ European Union (ACP/ EU) Sugar Protocol.
Guyana exports 167,000 tonnes of sugar to the EU under the Sugar Protocol and a further 25,000-30,000 tonnes under the Special Preferential Sugar Agreement.
If the proposal is accepted, GuySuCo could lose US$20 million in revenue between 2005 and 2006, and this could go to $35-$37 million in 2007. The Region would lose about US$90 million.
At the last CARICOM Heads of Government Conference, in Grenada earlier this year, CARICOM Heads denounced the price cuts as an act of bad faith on the part of the European Commission.
The Heads condemned the disregard shown for the provisions of Article 36 (4) of the Cotonou Agreement, which commits the EU to safeguard benefits derived from the Sugar Protocol in the review to be undertaken in the context of the new trading agreements now being negotiated with ACP countries.
In their protest against the proposed reform, ACP countries will push for compensatory measures for its producers, similar to those being offered EU producers. These countries will also speak out against the time-frame given for the implementation of the cuts.
Reform of the local industry has already started which would position the industry to better deal with the challenges ahead. These measures include the modernisation of the Skeldon factory and the move towards value-added products and the Agriculture Improvement Plan. The focus of developments in the sugar industry is to bring the cost of production down.
Sugar contributes around 17 percent of Guyana 's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is a major foreign exchange earner.
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Mushroom house to be completed within 5 weeks
- Tender awarded
Georgetown , GINA, September 3, 2004
Construction of a facility to house mushroom plants and demonstrate its cultivation will begin shortly, at the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI). The contract has already been awarded and the structure is expected to be completed within five weeks.
According to Director of NARI Dr. Oudho Homenauth the work is expected to begin this week. The contract was awarded to local contractor M. Rahim and Sons.
The project is being undertaken with the assistance of the Chinese Government and the design was provided by the Chinese.
The Chinese will assist in acquiring the necessary equipment for the mushroom house. A delegation had conducted a feasibility study here, which showed that Guyana has the necessary conditions for the cultivation of mushrooms.
Dr. Homenauth noted that the Chinese delegation proposed four species for cultivation, since Guyana has required materials, including rice bran, rice straw and saw dust.
Exchange notes for mushroom cultivation were signed last October by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and International Co-operation and the Chinese Ambassador to Guyana .
NARI expects to expand production for commercial purposes and with assistance from the Chinese. The facility will be used as a model and for demonstration purposes. Local farmers interested in cultivating mushrooms will be able to access vital information from the facility
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