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Mocha Arcadia farmers encouraged to diversify agricultural activities

Georgetown, GINA, January 9, 2010

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Crops and Livestock today held an informative and interactive meeting with farmers of Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara on issues relating to crop cultivation, animal rearing and drainage and irrigation.

Seeds and herbicides distributed to farmers

         This was done in keeping with Government’s initiative to diversify and expand agriculture on a commercial basis, in addition to ensuring that necessary conditions such as drainage and irrigation, appropriate technology and knowledge are present for high levels of production. 

Farmer uplifting seed from an Agriculture Ministry Official

The meeting which was held in the community was attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud and managerial and technical staff of the Ministry.

Crops and Livestock
In light of the farmers in Mocha Arcadia producing crops on a small scale the Ministry has indicated that it will provide investment support to foster expansion so that crops can be produced in bulk for commercial sale. However, this will be done on the merit of the creation of groups to promote better collaboration, create competitive advantage and transparency.

Section of the farmers gathered for the meeting at Mocha Arcadia, EBD

          A Needs Assessment Workshop will be conducted in the area on January 23 to ascertain the crops, livestock and technical support required by the community, Minister Robert Persaud noted. He indicated that the Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Development Project Officers will meet with the groups to discuss specific needs which will lead to the development of a strategic plan to outline how those needs will be addressed.
            The Minister noted that the agricultural sector is aiming to gain a large market in the Caribbean for local produce. The Caribbean’s food import bill was approximately US$4 billion in 2009. If local production increases the possibility of Guyana being a large supplier exists.

: Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud addressing farmers at Mocha Arcadia

          Paramount to that vision will be farmers taking on greater responsibilities related to providing ideas and contributing to the growth and development of the sector. The Minister emphasized that it should be a bottom-up approach since farmers have first hand advantage on many issues surrounding agriculture. Minister Persaud also recommended that the farmers’ group be more proactive and explained that the Ministry has an open-door policy.
            Recently plantains and bananas were affected by a fungus like disease, and since then the Ministry has embarked upon sensitizing farmers on certain measures to adopt so as to contain and manage the disease. However, samples of the fungus have been sent to Trinidad for testing so that the Ministry can determine what the disease is, its origin and its cure, Minister Persaud noted, while responding to a concern shared by a resident.
            The proper management of cattle was discussed to address the issue of wandering animals on the roadways. Dr. Dwight Waldron, Director of the National Dairy Development Programme indicated that the pasture available for the cattle cannot accommodate the approximately 300 cattle in the area as such the Ministry will implement a zero grazing system, whereby farmers will cut grass from the pasture and feed it to their cattle.
            Minister Persaud noted that farmers interested in accessing new breed of sheep and goats can do so, however, this is only possible if they qualify the criteria for ownership since they are expensive.
            To boost the management and development of livestock Persaud noted that the Guyana Livestock Development Authority Bill 2009 has been passed and this will allow the centralized provision of services to farmers.

Drainage and Irrigation
            The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has been very vibrant in the Mocha Arcadia area to strengthen drainage systems and maintain the cleanliness of the drains and canals.
            Approximately $7.2M was expended on the maintenance programme for 2008/2009 period. These works were conducted by the farmers’ group and have prevented large scale floods. The Ministry currently has an excavator operating in the area clearing and cleaning overcrowded lands and drain.

The two drainage pipe

          In light of the El Nino like situation the country has been experiencing the Ministry has prioritized irrigation of lands or making water available to farmers for their farm lands. This however, has to be done cautiously since the area is prone to flooding.
            After discussions with the residents the Ministry has decided that there is a need to modify the layout of the drainage system. The Minister noted that the opportune time will be when GUYSUCO retires the land for a one-year period, during which a pilot project can be conducted to identify areas that need regulation to prevent floods while irrigating certain areas.
At the end of the meeting with the Minister, officials from the Ministry met with farmers and discussed varying issues. They also distributed seeds and herbicides to farmers who were present at the gathering. Two drainage pipes were also given to the community to be installed at strategic locations to aid the flow of water.

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ERC’s 2009 work programme successfully implemented

Georgetown, GINA, January 2, 2010

The Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC’s) Annual Report stated that 2009 was successful year and that the commission implemented its work plan unhindered. It engaged thousands of Guyanese in meaningful discussions during its various outreach programmes; which ranged from Constituency Meetings, Women’s Conferences and Inter/Intra Community Dialogue, all aimed at promoting harmony and good relations.
Particular emphasis was placed on empowering and equipping residents at the community level, with the necessary skills to build healthy relationships with each other and, ultimately, to live in peace and harmony.
In July, the Commission commenced the Neighbourhood Conference Project under the theme, “Enhancing local capacity for participation in governance and the development of initiatives to resolve conflicts and contribute to community security” withspecific objectives;

• to encourage active participation by community members in the establishment of effective Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs),
• to enable community members to develop the capacity and skills to work together for the good of the community and;
• to equip communities with dispute resolution skills.

            Fifty-six Neighbourhood conferences were held, in 2009, in all 10 regions. During these sessions, the ERC interacted with approximately 2,500 Guyanese from all ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.
            At the end of discussions, the Conference concluded with residents, symbolically, signing a personal pledge of commitment to ensure peaceful communities, where everyone is involved in the internal development agenda of their particular location.

ERC community conference in Bush Lot, Region 5

          Problem solving and trouble shooting of contentious issues and situations is also facilitated by ERC’s Complaints Desk, at all conferences held countrywide.
           
Women’s Conferences

Commencing on May 20 and concluding December 15, the Commission conducted 12 Women’s Conferences in all 10 administrative regions as part of the body’s “strategic priorities” for 2009 and in keeping with its mandate of promoting harmony and good relations. During this period approximately 900 women were consulted.

ERC's Women’s Workshop at Roraima Duke Lodge

        The aim of the workshops was to provide a forum where women as nurturers, caregivers and mothers from all fabric of society could assemble and freely express their thoughts, opinions, and views on issues related to the Guyanese society and make recommendations for the improvement of their communities in this regard. 
          Further, the women gave their commitment to playing their role in ensuring peaceful communities where people can live in harmony, working together and are united.

Constituency Meetings

In August, the Commission met with members of the Hindu, Muslim and Christian Constituencies as well as representatives of Women, Labour, Private Sector, Youth and Civil Society.
            The meetings sought feedback on the work of the Commission, including current projects being undertaken, listen to their concerns and determine how best the ERC can assist in conflict resolution.
             Representatives pledged their support to the Commission’s programmes and urged the ERC to continue the work it was constitutionally mandated to do.

Blairmont Sugar estate workers at the ERC meeting

           The first meeting was held with 13 representatives of the Hindu community, 9 from the Muslim community and 12 women representatives, while 20 persons participated in the Christian Constituency meeting, 12 from youth organisations, 10 from Labour organisations, 9 from the Private Sector and 15 from of Civil Society.
               During the interaction several issues were discussed and recommendations were made on how to resolve these issues. These were recorded by the Commission and will be followed-up.

Enhancing Ethnic Security

Enhancing ethnic security and harmony has always been, and will continue to be the focus of the Commission. The ERC urged the Security Forces to operate within the context of their Constitutional mandate and always observe best practices and the rule of law.
           It was expressed that the Security Forces must recognize that Guyana is a vibrantly unique and distinct society, composed of a sensitive environment and the opinions and concerns of this country’s citizens must be taken into consideration when formulating their programmes and executing operations.

ERC conference in Linden

The ERC is  a Constitutional, non-political body established by Constitution Amendment (No. 2) Act 11 of 2000, which amends article 212 D of the Constitution to provide for the establishment of an Ethnic Relations Commission.
            Its functions, as set out in Article 212 D of the Constitution, are all embracing and divided in 24 categories which can be further grouped as; Conflict Resolution, Education and Public Awareness and Research and Development Strategies.

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Works at busy Diamond junction in progress

Georgetown, GINA, December 9, 2010

Vehicular congestion at the busy Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara entrance has reduced significantly with the installation of the traffic light. The installation was done in keeping with Government’s effort to improve road infrastructure and services offered to commuters.

Traffic light at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara entrance

         The traffic light has been in operation since last month. The Ministry of Public Works and Communication has effected necessary work to facilitate the traffic lights such as widening of a stretch of road near the junction to accommodate an extra lane. This is 95 percent complete and is pending the application of asphalt.

Residents utilizing the newly constructed pavement at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara entrance

        In light of the road widening, pavements were constructed to facilitate pedestrians.

: One of the four foot bridges erected at Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara entrance

    The Ministry has completed the construction of the four foot bridges for the safety of pedestrians. The cost of the entire project is $15M.  

Portion of the widened road at the junction of the Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara entrance

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Telecommunications landscape transformation reaches climax
- President officiates at historic fiber optic cable shore-end landing

Georgetown, GINA, January 9, 2010

Guyana has made a significant step forward in its many efforts to become a country that is on par with the rest of the world with modern telecommunication services.
            The long awaited shore-end landing works of the Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System (SG-SCS) was finally realized today after President Bharrat Jagdeo accompanied by officials of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company performed the symbolic pulling of the cable at the Kingston seawall aback of the Pegasus Hotel.

President Bharrat Jagdeo pulling the fibre optic cable at the shore end cable landing of the Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System ceremony. Officials of GT&T looks on

This historic event marks the fulfillment of Government’s policy of encouraging the establishing international connectivity and the telephone company’s plan to make Guyana’s telecommunications capacity “lightning speed.”
The new cable will have 3,000 times the current bandwidth capacity and will facilitate enormous development opportunities including, call centres, regional hosting opportunities, the provision of data for disaster recovery facilities, subscriber bandwidth services, telemedicine and distance learning,  
Today’s event which should have been done since January 4, was put on hold as a result of bad weather which affected the schedule of the barge’s departure from Suriname after completing the shore end landing process in that country. This was during the same time that Guyana had experienced high waves and some overtopping at several parts of the coast.
 The 1,240 kilometre submarine fibre optic cable system will connect Guyana and Suriname to Trinidad and Tobago and hence to the rest of the world. Global Marine Systems Limited (GMSL) a worldwide provider of submarine cable installation and maintenance was contracted to install the cable and related marine services.

Workers of the Global Marine Systems Limited (GMSL) laying the Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System at the Kingston seawall

The cable laying begins on the Northern Coast of Trinidad and Tobago, and proceeds in a south easterly direction over a distance of 654 kilometres to a branching unit in the Atlantic Ocean.
The cable to Guyana will be laid in a south westerly direction, a distance of 210 kilometres to Kingston, Georgetown, while the branch to Suriname will be a length of 310 kilometres.
In February the main submarine cable laying process will begin. This will be followed by installation of equipment to the cable stations, laying of the terrestrial cable between Georgetown and Suriname, electronics connection and systems testing.  By the second quarter of this year this latter process should be completed.
This significant milestone for Guyana signals another stage in the telephone company’s vision to deliver a state of the art long-lasting telecommunications network in Guyana and the fulfillment of the commitment of President Jagdeo’s vision of an articulate Information Communication Technology (ICT) strategy for Guyana.
The President described today as a visionary move by GT&T noting that the fusion of national and company’s interests is ideal.
While reflecting on the endless opportunities which the new system will provide to Guyana, President Jagdeo said Guyana will now be able to catch up with the rest of the world in rapid growth.
“When the world has gone so far in the development of ICT… when the world has moved on to different generations of technology we are yet to have in Guyana reliable, cost efficient bandwidth. This is why I am so pleased that this cable would at least partially correct that,” President Jagdeo said.
The partnership between Government and the phone company will continue for the fulfillment of the project however, President Jagdeo disclosed that his administration will continue its agenda of modernizing Guyana.

Chief Executive Officer of GT&T Major General (retd) Joe Singh presenting a replica of the fibre optic cable to President Bharrat Jagdeo

Very soon an entire package of policies and services that will be progressively implemented in various sectors will be unveiled that will transform the way in which business in done in Guyana.
President Jagdeo said Government has already made financial instalments on cables from the United States to pave the way for another fibre optic cable from Brazil.
“We anticipate that this will be landed somewhere around the second-third quarter of this year. This cable would be dedicated purely to e-government and we hope that we can work with GT&T to swap capacity on these cables.”
The Suriname Guyana submarine cable system has its genesis in 2006 after President Jagdeo held a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Atlantic Tele Network (ATN) Michael Prior where Guyana’s ICT strategy was discussed.
In late 2007, GT&T made a presentation to the President, outlining several concepts.
CEO of GT&T Major General (retd) Joe Singh said President Jagdeo’s presence “signals the commitment to what we hope is the true partnership between government and GT&T to chart a way forward that is in the best interest of Guyana.”
“We understand the direction that the technology and industry are heading and are committed to working with the Government and stakeholders to improve telecommunications and Internet access and to introduce modern services,” the company’s CEO said.
GT&T, in paving the way for the US$30M investment, was required to invest in the national communication infrastructure and retraining of personnel.
The Suriname Guyana submarine cable system will replace the Americas II link which is interlinked from French Guiana to Guiana through Suriname. GT&T’s CEO said that while this former system had served over the past decade, frequent disruptions had been occurring that came at a high cost to business and customers in Guyana.
“We needed to ensure sufficient capacity to more-than-cover all foreseeable transmission requirements and provide a more secure redundancy, virtually eliminating the possibility of international communication outages to businesses and residential users,” Major General (retd) Singh said.
In recognition of the President’s vision for ICT in Guyana, GT&T presented him with a replica of the fibre optic cable, a plaque from GMSL and five Leonovo Idea Pad computers.

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Agri. Minister and team to visit Essequibo Coast

Georgetown, GINA, January 9, 2009

Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud has mandated the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to work closely with the various regional administrations to ensure adequate irrigation water is available during the current El Nino conditions.
            The Ministry of Agriculture said that currently the NDIA is working with Regional Administrations to examine requests for irrigation with the aim of releasing irrigation water on a needs basis to ensure a safe level of water in the drainage and irrigation system.
            In light of the Ministry of Agriculture continuing to receive reports of farmers vandalizing and tampering with critical drainage and irrigation infrastructure, the NDIA is urging farmers to desist from such acts.
The Drainage and Irrigation Act of 2004, Section 61, makes provision for dealing with Offences and Prosecution of persons found guilty of damaging D&I structures. Members of the public are asked to report such incidents to the Guyana Police Force or the Ministry of Agriculture's hotline numbers: 223-7291, 227-5049. Text messages can be sent to 691-0000.
Meanwhile, Minister Persaud and technical officers who have been visiting various communities and monitoring the effects of the current El Nino conditions are scheduled to visit the Essequibo Coast, Region Two to interact with farmers and discuss possible solutions for irrigation during the current dry weather.

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