President, Agriculture Minister to conduct farmers’ meeting at Mahaica, Mahaicony
In another manifestation of the concern expressed by Government for agriculture and the persons involved in the industry, as well as the desire to see the industry develop further, President Bharrat Jagdeo and Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, will be interacting with farmers and members of the public within Mahaica and Mahaicony to discuss issues of mutual concern on January 10.
The meetings will be held at Mortice Primary School, Mahaicony at 10:00H, and Little Biaboo Primary School, Mahaica at 13:00H (1:00PM).
Farmers and members of the public are invited to participate.
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Gov’t is firmly committed to continuing reforms
- Minister Singh tells participants at evaluation workshop
Government’s commitment to continuing reforms which have been undertaken over these past few years, was reiterated by Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh earlier today during a close out workshop of the Guyana Threshold Country Plan/Implementation Project (GTCP/IP) held at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown.
“Government is firmly committed to continuing this work and to realizing and exceeding the objectives that are set by the programme. We will continue this work. We look forward to continuing close collaboration with all of our development partners and I am optimistic that we will realise the objectives that we have set ourselves,” Minister Singh told participants.
Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh delivers brief remarks at a two-day close out workshop of the Guyana Threshold Country Plan-Implementation Project at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Kingston.
The GTCP/IP which is a joint programme between the Governments of Guyana and the United States of America costs US $6.66 M of which US $6.28M or 94.4 percent would have been utilized by the end of December 2009. The programme is being effected by the Government of Guyana and the United States Agency for International Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The final report is currently being prepared and the two-day review of the GTCP/IP will provide feedback on how the programme was implemented and identify accomplishments and shortcomings of the programme.
Referring to the comprehensive design of the programme, the Finance Minister expressed gratitude to the parties involved in the design and implementation noting that there are important lessons to be learnt from good programmes. The lessons he noted can be replicated as other programmes are designed and he urged that persons be realistic in setting goals and objectives.
From right, Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh, Charge d’ Affaires of the US Embassy Carol Horning, Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jennifer Webster and Chief of Party Dr. Coby Frimpong in discussion at the close out workshop of the Guyana Threshold Country Plan/Implementation Project.
“I also believe that it is important to be realistic in setting your objectives and its good to be ambitious but we must also be realistic in what is achievable. We must know our capacities, know the level of resources that we have available, know the timelines involved and be realistic in setting our objectives and I think on this occasion I believe putting our heads together we got it relatively right,” Minister Singh said.
Outlining several reforms undertaken by Government in the past with assistance from various donor parties, the Minister expressed appreciation to the donor community for its assistance including the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank and the European Union.
“The activities that were designed within the threshold programme really represented the logical next step on a reform that had already been articulated and the programme was very well designed,” the Minister said.
Participants at the close out workshop of the Guyana Threshold Country Plan/Implementation Project at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown
The objectives of the GTCP/IP were driven by Government’s commitment to achieving and maintaining fiscal sustainability through an efficient and effective tax regime, efficient public expenditure management, and improved fiduciary oversight. The main objective of the GTCP/IP was to provide targeted technical assistance and training to support ongoing fiscal policy strategy aimed at bringing the fiscal deficit down to a sustainable level. A secondary objective of the programme was to improve the business investment climate.
The six reform areas addressed by the GTCP/IP are tax and customs administration; Value Added Tax (VAT) implementation; tax policy; expenditure planning; parliamentary oversight; and business registration.
Mission Director of USAID and Charge d Affaires of the US Embassy Carol Horning stated that in development, everything is a continuum and expressed thanks to the Finance Minister for his vision, leadership and commitment to economic reform.
“Government already had the vision before this project started and with help from other donors had put in place different reforms and had an idea of where they wanted to go from there. So that’s what made it possible, its still a remarkable achievement compared to other countries so you can all feel proud of that,” she said.
Ms. Horning pointed out that the input and views of participants at the workshop will have an impact on the country since the reforms will promote further development of Guyana.
“The Guyana Threshold Programme is highly unusual, its very comprehensive…very ambitious, it was even expanded beyond its original scope during the two years and its main focus, and this is key, is on the hardest work of all whether its inside or outside of development, that is institutional change, there is nothing harder in the world than to change an institution from the inside.”
Chief of Party Dr. Coby Frimpong in presenting the draft of the final report noted that the goals included a reduction of the fiscal deficit; the number of days to start a business and the number of days to clear imports at customs.
The agencies benefitting from the programme were the Guyana Revenue Authority, the Deeds Registry, the Ministry of Finance, the National Procurement and Tender Administration, Parliament and the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest).
Main accomplishments of the programme include the transformation of the GRA to deliver increased revenues; the improvement of business facilitation at the Deeds Registry; the improvement of capacity for analysis and forecasting at the Ministry of Finance; the improvement of transparency in the procurement system at the National Procurement and Tender Administration; the improvement of business facilitation at Go-Invest; and equipping parliamentarians better for oversight duties.
In June 2007, the Millennium Challenge Corporation approved a Threshold Programme grant from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) to the Government of Guyana to support its efforts to overcome the country’s serious fiscal challenges, while also streamlining the business registration process.
The project was managed and administered by the USAID Mission in Guyana and the Regional Contracting Office in the Dominican Republic under a Task Order with Nathan Associates Inc. as the prime contractor. The GTCP/IP began operations in January 14, 2008 and will be completed on February 23, 2010.
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Construction starts on Wakenaam airstrip
Construction of the airstrip at Meer Zorg, Wakenaam, Region Three has begun, a project that will cost $54.5 M. This airstrip when completed will add to the growing number of domestic airstrips available to satisfy the needs of passengers and cargo.
The construction will take approximately five months. The plot of land selected for the airstrip is 300x3000 feet and will facilitate the 2000-foot long and 50-foot wide runway.
The scope of construction entails clearing the area of shrubs and filling the plot with white sand. The runway will be constructed with white sand and loam mixed with cement, Leon Goring, Engineering Co-ordinator, Work Services Group of the Ministry of Public Works stated.
Several airstrips have been earmarked for construction in outlying regions as the Administration continues to make interventions to reduce cost of transportation.
Madhia airstrip, Region Eight has been completed and Air Services Ltd is currently making preparations for the accommodation of passengers who will utilize the facilities.
The 4000-foot runway at Ogle Airport Incorporated is under construction and will be completed this year. This will enable the airport to accommodate regional flights.
The Ministry is currently soliciting land for an airstrip at Leguan, Region Three.
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Largest nationwide softball 10/10 cricket tournament to be hosted
- Sport Ministry on board
Spearheaded by the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company, the first ever countrywide 10 over softball cricket competition that is anticipated to attract about 350 teams will be held this year.
The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has partnered with the phone company and the Guyana Softball League to host the inaugural event.
Today the competition was launched at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
GT&T sees the competition as an auspicious event that will coincide with its 19th anniversary celebrations this year and Guyana’s 40th anniversary as a Republic.
Softball cricket is a popular sport in Guyana that is played at every level on every street corner or venue possible as competitors seek to settle friendly scores. Importantly however is the social cohesion which is achieved at the group and community level when the game is played.
GT&T’s Marketing Director Wystan Robertson said., “this is the same game that has broken the neighbour’s window pains and what we have done is to take that whole tradition of the softball game and packaged it into a softball 10/10 competition.”
The event is one which was part of a plan in 2009 to mobilize the softball community for one big competition. However, Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony said while his ministry was conceptualizing, the telephone company coincidentally came in at the right time with a workable plan.
“Investing in an event like this is really an investment in sports and an investment in people,” Minister Anthony said.
A brief outline of the Ministry’s plans for sports in Guyana was disclosed by Minister Anthony, one of which involves working with communities across Guyana through an interlock programme on various sports and in this regard he sees the 10/10 cricket competition as another aspect of the programme.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony with representatives of GT&T, the Guyana Softball League and corporate sponsors at the launch of the GT&T Softball Cricket Competition
“At the community level…there are several teams but they don’t have many organized competitions to get involved in so what this will do is to put people in a more organized structure,” Minister Anthony said.
The idea of making the competition an annual event, was welcomed by Minister Anthony who was confident of its potential as a premiere community event for sports in Guyana.
In December two new national sports awards will be introduced, one of which will be for persons involved in community sports and the other for school sports. Minister Anthony said this will provide opportunities for communities to be eligible for a national sports award
A total of $5M is up for grabs for the competition which the promoters intend to make an annual event on the calendar of sports in Guyana and which is opened to both male and female enthusiasts across the country.
The 10 over knock-out competition bowls off on February 6 and ends with a grand finale on March 21 at the famous Georgetown Cricket Club Bourda ground venue.
The cash prizes are as follows:
- Winner $1M
- Runner up $250,000 each team
- Semi Finalist $50,000 each team
- Quarter finalist 20,000 each team
- Round of 16 – 10,000 each team
Registration is free and will be placed exclusively in the Guyana Times newspapers from January 8 including the rules of the competition. These forms will be collected by the Softball League representative and GT&T branches located throughout the country.
Several corporate sponsors will be on board for the competition, giving several prizes from the preliminaries to teams and spectators. Among the sponsors are Impressions, Guyana Times, Cellphone Shack, Gismos and Gadgets and Survival.
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$8.25B supplementary provision sought
…for electrification programme, housing development
Georgetown, GINA, January 7, 2010
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, today, tabled in the National Assembly Financial Papers 5/2009 and 6/2009 seeking supplementary provisions of $8,245,758,278 to meet a number of expenses including additional expenses of the electrification programme, infrastructural development and building within the housing sector, and an additional $1.6B for the Low Income Housing Programme Revolving Fund, among others.
Financial Paper 5/2009, totalling $1,449,775,969, provides $883,192,352 to meet current expenditure that includes $434M to purchase drugs and medical supplies for regional and clinical services of the Ministry of Health, $200M to provide financial support to the Transport and Harbour Department, and $190M to increase expenditure for the maintenance of drainage and irrigation structures.
The remaining $566,583,617 in the financial papers is to meet capital expenditures of which $354M is for the installation of fibre optic cables and terminal equipment, and $208M is a supplementary provision for the completion of the New Amsterdam-Moleson Creek highway.
Financial Paper 62009, totalling $6,795,982,309 of capital expenditure, include an additional $4B for infrastructural development within housing schemes across Guyana, which is a substantial contribution to the housing drive as the voted provision for this activity in the 2009 budget was $430M.
Also, an additional $1B has been allocated to meet additional expenses of the electrification programme, which had a $4.5B provision in the 2009 budget.
Of the total of Financial Paper 6/2009, $1.8B will come from non-governmental sources, including $1.6B for the Low Income Housing Programme Revolving Fund which seeks to assist vulnerable groups to be able to obtain their own homes. This fund was first announced by President Bharrat Jagdeo during his Independence Day address, and an initial amount of $400M for the fund was approved by the National Assembly several months ago. The fund is managed by the Central Housing and Planning Authority and targets senior citizens, the disabled and single parents, among other vulnerable groups.
Also coming from non-governmental sources is an additional $144M to continue the Education for All Fast Track Initiative, in additional to $668M which was already approved.
The two supplementary financial papers outline that Government continues to invest heavily in infrastructural development and improving and extending social services in its effort to ensure that all Guyanese can enjoy a high standard of living.
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CGX announces parties to Georgetown Petroleum Prospecting Licence renew contract
As the Administration continues work towards ensuring that Guyana remains socially, economically and environmentally sound, recent developments in the energy sector are indicative of forthcoming stability.
CGX Energy Inc., the Canadian-based oil and gas exploration company, focused on exploration for oil in Guyana, has announced that the parties to the Georgetown Petroleum Prospecting Licence, have renewed existing agreements with the Georgetown Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL) offshore Guyana, thereby entering into the Second Renewal Period.
Managed by a team of experienced oil and gas and finance professionals from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, CGX is financed internationally and has thousands of shareholders worldwide.
The specific parties to the renewal agreement include operator Repsol Exploracion S.A (15%), YPF Guyana Limited (30%), Tullow Guyana BV (30%) and subsidiary of CGX energy, CGX Resources Inc. (25%),
According to a release from the organisation, during the first 18 months of the Second Renewal Period there is a minimum work commitment of one exploration well. In transition to the Second Renewal Period and as required by the Georgetown PPL, approximately 30 percent of the area under contract has been relinquished to the Government.
The release added that processing and interpretation of the recently acquired 1,839 sq km 3D seismic is well advanced for the selection of the location for the commitment well.
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CGX stated, “On November 21, 2009, CGX announced it was scheduled to drill on its 100 percent Corentyne PPL during the second half of 2010. With the renewal of the Georgetown PPL, CGX will be participating in a second well in the basin.”
With the commissioning of the Kingston Power Plant, unparalleled numbers of cars on the roadways of Guyana and strides towards a low carbon pathway, energy security is critical to the overall productivity of the national economy.
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Bill to regulate livestock industry passed in Parliament
The Guyana Livestock Development Authority Bill 2009, presented at the December 11 sitting of the National Assembly by Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud was passed this evening following rigorous debate by several members of the House.
Minister Persaud in his opening presentation said that the livestock industry which has vast potential, is an important sub-sector within agriculture which has seen tremendous growth and expansion in recent years. He said that Guyana enjoys a comparative advantage in the export of other crops and livestock products, fruits and vegetables, and aquaculture.
The Minister noted that Guyana also enjoys a favourable advantageous position in terms of animal and plant health status since it is free from the fruit fly and the
foot-and-mouth disease.
“Guyana's Livestock Sector has contributed significantly to the economy by being self sufficient in chicken, beef, button, pork and eggs,” the Minister said.
He said that the vision to develop this sub-sector is framed within the Agricultural Export Diversification Programme (ADP) and has been conceptualized to realize Guyana's potential as a major player in the exports of Agricultural Products in the Caribbean.
A number of deficiencies have been cited within the industry and as such the ADP’s efforts to address them will be facilitated with the upgrade of legislation to ensure compliance with international standards. This will ensure the acceptance of Guyana’s poultry products in the international markets.
These deficiencies include: lack of suitable volume of cattle (currently Guyana’s cattle population is approximately 260,000 heads), ineffective sanitary surveillance systems, poor institutional support and outdated legal framework, weak technological awareness and business practices in meeting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in the livestock chain and inadequate abattoir facilities.
The Bill seeks to establish the Guyana Livestock Development Authority so as to make provisions for effective administration and regulation of that industry.
Minister Persaud said that this Authority is expected to revolutionize the local livestock sector and make Guyana a leading livestock product exporter. At present, the industry has already attained the level of self-sufficiency and is also exporting to other countries. He added that the changes taking place in the Livestock Industry is reflective of the improvements in other sub sectors.
The Minister said that functions of the Authority are also designed to complement the objectives contained within the National Development Strategy (NDS).
Minister of Housing and Water, Irfaan Ali who spoke in support of the Bill said this piece of legislation being brought to the National Assembly is testimony to page 23 of the PPP/C’s 2006 manifesto.
“Government is committed to ensure that the agricultural base in Guyana is expanded,” he said.
He said that this Bill forms a framework for the much needed surveillance system to ensure that Guyana’s livestock products meet international standards.
Minister Ali also hinted of prospected trade with Latin American and CARICOM countries, since Guyana is located in an advantageous position to penetrate these markets. He added that this Bill sets the necessary framework to achieve this.
Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir highlighted that the first time Guyana acquired self-deficiency, was under the PPP Government. He added that since then, efforts to reinvigorate the industry saw more people going into livestock production.
Members of the Opposition who spoke on the Bill were PNCR Leader, Robert Corbin, Jennifer Wade (also from the PNCR), and AFC’s Sheila Holder. They expressed similar concerns as it relates to the composition of the Authority.
To this concern, Minister Persaud said that the Bill provides for the broadest framework of stakeholders and it seeks to ensure that the Authority is equipped with the requisite technical skills to effectively undertake its responsibilities.
Subsequent to the debate, the Opposition refused to support the bill in its current form. As a result, three AFC members declined to vote, 17 PNCR members voted against it and 32 members from the Government side voted for the Bill, which was then passed.
The Bill is an Act to promote greater efficiency in the livestock and livestock product industry and to provide enhanced services in livestock husbandry, health and research.
It provides for the administration and management of the Authority and its affairs to exercise all powers to act in accordance with the provisions enlisted in the Act. This body will be empowered to act on national and commercial considerations subject to the directions of the Minister in discharging its functions.
Government remains committed to meet its moral obligations to institute legislative provisions that will ensure the protection of its vulnerable population. Recently the Rice Factories (Amendment) Bill was passed in the National Assembly.
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