Agri. Ministry moves to offer up-to-date information to farmers
- five kiosks established
Georgetown, GINA, April 28, 2007
Several kiosks, which have been established by the Ministry of Agriculture, will be operational shortly to allow farmers to access up-to-date information on farming practices via the internet. More such departments are to be set up to increase the number of farmers who can benefit from such initiatives.
A section of the participants at the training for extension staff
Minister of Agriculture Mr. Robert Persaud during his remarks at the closing session of a three-day training session for extension agents at the Guyana School of Agriculture today, pointed out that persons have been trained to assist farmers in accessing information. A total of 32 extension agents and 14 Information Technology personnel were trained.
The kiosks have been established at Anna Regina RDC office in Region Two, Den Amstel in Region Three, the MMA Compound at Onverwagt in Region Five, Benab in Region 6, and Christianburg in Region 10.
Minister Persaud hands over letter of acceptance to one of the extionsion agents.
Minister Persaud, in explaining the objective of the training session pointed out that the extension services needed restructuring to be able to adequately address farmers’ needs. He further charged the agents with ensuring that they use the information imparted to them to enhance their services to others in the various communities.
Extension services had declined and farmers were complaining that they hardly benefit from this service although officers are assigned to the Regions. He urged the new agents to ensure that they visit farmers and find ways of assisting them with their problems.
The Minister urged the agents to work together with the Ministry and other agencies within the sector to deliver effective and efficient services. He pointed out that the work of the agents will be monitored to ensure that the service is effective.
Farmers’ Manual
Copies and Compact Discs of the Farmers Manual which, were done by the Ministry of Agriculture, were presented to the agents which will serve as guide in their activities. The Manuals provide information on planting and caring for crops and how to deal with pests and diseases.
Farmer's Manual
Every Region was presented with a copy of the manual which cost the Ministry approximately $30M. Additional copies would be made for other agents. Volume two of the manual, which is already in the making, will focus on Livestock.
The Ministry will work to provide the necessary support and infrastructure needed to enhance the work of the agents. Regional Coordinators will be appointed shortly and they will operate from the Regional Democratic Councils in the various Regions.
Deputy Permanent Secretary – Administration, Mr. Brian Greenidge, in his power point presentation explained the motivation behind the restructuring of the service. An Extension Services Unit (ESU) will be established shortly which will be governed by an Extension Advisory Committee. The ESU will be headed by a Coordinator who will be supported by two assistants and coordinators in the 10 Regions.
At the end of today’s session, participants were provided with the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification pertaining to what they would have learnt.
The agents are volunteers who would be given an honorarium for their services and are from the 10 Administrative Regions.
Another training seminar will be held in August which will include other extension staff and will address shortcomings that would have been identified during the seminar.
Others present at the seminar Director of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) Dr. Oudho Homenauth, Chief Crops and Livestock Officer Ms. Beverley Sumner, and Training Officer within the Ministry Mr. Joseph McAlister.
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Gov’t to table ‘Persons with Disabilities’ Bill this year
Georgetown, GINA, April 28, 2007
The administration is firmly committed to addressing the needs of people living with disabilities evidenced by the drafting of legislation that seeks to give protection and provide equal opportunities for them.
The legislation which is in its final stages is expected to be presented to the National Assembly later this year.
Delivering the feature address at the first General Assembly of the Guyana Disabled People’s Organisation (GDPO) at the Critchlow Labour College, Woolford Avenue, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Priya Manickchand said the administration will do all in its capacity to ensure that these people can make contributions to society.
The National Commission on Disability is in its final stages of preparing the new Persons with Disability Bill to be tabled in the National Assembly. The Bill facilitates the incorporation of 31 fundamental rights as recommended by the United Nations Convention.
Amendments to the latest version of the Bill involved the addition of further details, including definitions of terms used in the legislation, more details for each section of the Bill and changes to the structure of the National Commission on Disability.
Minister Manickchand explained that Government on April 11, 2007 signed on to a convention which requires Governments in Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere to extend equal care and support programmes for Persons Living with Disability (PLWD).
“The Government is so committed to this, that a Presidential Committee was established to work with the disability organisations in Guyana in fighting for the rights of people with disability,” she said
Minister Manickchand said that there is a need for attitudinal change towards people with disabilities and urged that that discrimination and stigmatisation be eliminated at all cost.
“We need to realise our full potential as a country and make use of all our resources. We should also realise that persons with disabilities can make a significant contribution to the very fabric of society,” Minister Manickchand said.
According to Secretary of the GDPO Patsy Mallay, the organisation serves as an umbrella body for the network of disability organisations in Guyana adding that it was established on July 20, 2003 and has so far been functioning effectively.
The organisation is an independent autonomous body which was set up with assistance from the Guyana Community Based Rehabilitation Programme (GCBR) and will be registered in June 2007.
Mallay explained that many disabled persons do not have access to education and employment which leads to social and economic exclusion and these persons are often trapped in a cycle of poverty and disability.
To this end, the administration has provided several scholarships to persons with disabilities to study medicine and other disciplines in Cuba. The National Commission on Disability (NCD) has been employing persons with disabilities.
It is estimated that there are over 500 million persons worldwide living with disabilities, of which 80 percent are from developing countries.
A National Commission on Disability was set up in Guyana which liaises with the Ministries of Health, Education and Labour, Human Services and Social Security to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.
In the People’s Progressive Party’s Manifesto for the current term in office, the Government stated that it will ensure that each citizen with disability can enjoy full and equal rights under the law, and be empowered to participate fully in Guyanese society by completing and implementing legislation to provide persons with disability legal safeguards against discrimination in the workplace, education establishments and medical and rehabilitation agencies; and improves access to public facilities.
Organizations like the Federation of and for Persons with Disabilities, the Ruimveldt Parent Support Group, the Open Doors Vocational Training Centre, the Georgetown Association for the Mentally Handicapped and the Physiotherapy Department of the Georgetown Public Hospital are providing support services for persons with disabilities.
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GMC holds ‘pineapple’ affair to promote industry
Georgetown, GINA, April 28,, 2007.
Established to help boost the country’s local products, the Guyana Marketing Corporation’s new facility, the Guyana Shop and Marketing Information Centre today held an activity to promote the pineapple industry.
The Robb and Alexander streets Centre is aimed at facilitating and coordinating development of non-traditional agricultural produce and products for export and improving on services offered by the GMC. In fulfillment of such objectives, the ‘pineapple party’ was held to highlight the many products and delicacies made from the succulent fruit, native to South America.
Farmers showcased and sold their products such as jams, jellies, wine, delicacies and rubbing alcohol all made form the pineapple.
According to General Manager of GMC Nizam Hassan, “Through this activity we hope that more persons will be aware of the agriculture products and produce in Guyana.”
Hassan said that this is the first external activity since the new shop was launched last month and noted that several other promotions are planned for the coming months.
He explained that since the launch of the new facility it has been doing very well. “We saw lots of overseas Guyanese, tourists and visitors during the Cricket World Cup period.”
Farmers expressed satisfaction at the initiative by the GMC, noting that it is an activity which must continue. They also urged Guyanese to support the local agriculture sector and subsequently the growth of the country’s economy.
The Guyana Shop currently has more than 400 different local items for sale to the public. It will make market information and contact more accessible to guide clients on current market trends and demand at the global level. Market agents will provide guidance for possible linkages between farmers and prospective buyers/exporters.
“This Guyana Shop initiative aims to promote only products made and grown in Guyana and will also conducts some retail sales as secondary focus. Officers will do whatever is necessary to promote export and the facility will provide information to curtail market failures,” Robert Persaud said at the shop’s launching in March.
GMC plays an instrumental role in the export of non-traditional produce to Barbados, Antigua and St. Lucia. The corporation is currently working to develop a similar link with Trinidad and Tobago. It was through the GMC, that market linkages were formed with different buyers from the United States of America for peppers, plantain and corn flour.
At today’s event local farmers were given the opportunity to showcase their produce and products particularly those made from pineapple.
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`Poor OSH conditions detract from productivity – Minister Nadir
Georgetown, GINA, April 28, 2007
Poor Occupational Safety and Health conditions detract from productivity as work-related accidents and diseases are costly and often have serious direct and indirect effects on the lives of workers, their families and employers.
These were the sentiments expressed by Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir in his message on the commemoration of World Day for Safety and Health today. The theme for this year’s observance is “Safe and Healthy Workplace – making Decent Work a Reality”.
He said that investigations conducted at the level of the Ministry often reveal that the root cause of several fatal and non-fatal accidents is attributed to unsafe systems of work while key contributory factors include the absence of relevant policies and programmes a lack of supervision and aggressive promotion of safety and health protocols among the employees.
Of the work-related accidents reported in Guyana in 2006, 1183 were non-fatal while fatalities totalled 7. These numbers may seem like a drop in the ocean when compared to the global figures; however, every injury sustained or life lost is deemed one too many as the victims – workers – are our most valued resources, the Minister said.
In April 2001, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Global Occupational Safety and Health Programme identified April 28 as the commemoration day for workers and designated it “World Day for Safety and Health at Work”.
This step was rooted in the observance of Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28 which was initiated by employees in 1989 with a view to commemorate, annually, victims who sustained occupational injuries, contracted work-related diseases or lost their lives during the course of their duties at work.
“The objective of World Day for Safety and Health at Work is to focus international attention on the magnitude of relevant problems and how the creation and maintenance of a safety and health culture can help to reduce the incidence of work-related accidents,” Minister Nadir said.
The Minister further stated, “Social dialogue between employers, workers and governments has been proven to be one of the key tools in making work safe and healthy.”
He said the OSH Act, No. 32 of 1997, Laws of Guyana requires Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committees at workplaces where twenty or more persons are regularly employed. Such Committees often comprise representatives of managerial and non-managerial staff and members of trade unions and constitute a mechanism for worker participation in the management of occupational safety and health. This obtains because the workers, through their practical experience on the job, are frequently in the best position to identify hazards.
“Respect for the principle of freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining is a core ILO value. The contribution that social dialogue can make to improving occupational safety and health is an important part of the Decent Work Agenda.”
Activities for this year’s Occupational Health and Safety month included Occupational Health and Safety Seminars at the Ministry of Labour, Hotel Tower, Mahdia and the Linden Hospital Complex among others. The National Safer Injection Group launched a programme which seeks to promote safer injection practices at Kuru Kururu.
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