Agri ministry to expand livestock sector
As the Government of Guyana seeks creative ways to divert attention from traditional crops, the Ministry of Agriculture has embarked on a project aimed at transforming the beef and diary industry to accommodate large scale production.
Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud said that based on technical research, he has concluded that the cattle sector is an area which can achieve feasible, vibrant diversification if given the necessary investment.
Minister Persaud was speaking on the Agriculture Export Diversification Programme at the National Meeting for Livestock Farmers held by the Guyana School of Agriculture in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.
He stated that government recognises the need to diversify the agriculture sector and it has come up with a project that would make a meaningful impact.
“The ship for transforming the livestock sector is leaving the port,” the Agriculture Minister said while urging sluggish farmers to catch up.
The minister remarked that Guyana has tremendous capacity for taking care of its domestic needs while becoming a lead exporter in beef and at the same time satisfying its demands for quality.
The diversification programme also includes alternative crops, livestock as well as aquaculture.
“Within the ambit of this project we are mulling types of legislations, institutional frameworks, policies and we have engaged a consultancy firm to guide in the interventions we need to make and to provide technical assistance”.
Minister Persaud noted that there is no coherent institution which can coordinate the crucial aspects of the livestock industry since this is currently fragmented under different agencies.
However, he disclosed that a Bill has been passed in Parliament which will allow for the establishment of a Guyana Livestock Development Authority to adequately guide and manage the sector.
The project will also see the construction of a veterinary laboratory in Mon Repos that will facilitate the conducting of tests and implementation of a robust animal health surveillance systems.
However, consultants have determined that Guyana’s herd size, of about 280,000 heads, is not sufficient to support additional export as well as local demand.
Minister Persaud explained that in an effort to support farmers, government is investing $400M matching to assist in herd expansion, pasture preparation and improve genetic stock.
In order to accommodate the explosion of the cattle population, the ministry is also looking for additional land all across the country.
The minister said discussions are ongoing to acquire land in the intermediate savannahs, the left Bank of the Abary River, 7,000 acres in Berbice for repossession and vast areas in Region Nine that have been lying idle.
The issue of herd management was also stressed since Minister Persaud said “everyone will not be able to acquire pasture in their backyards”.
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Government to construct $206M abattoir
The Government of Guyana is discussing the construction a state-of-the-art facility where cattle can be prepared, in accordance with health safety regulations, for both local and overseas markets.
Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud made the disclosure today during the National Meeting for Livestock Farmers at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA).
The forum was held to discuss with cattle farmers the various measures being adopted to expand the beef industry under the Agriculture Export Diversification Programme.
The minister said the construction of the abattoir is expected to cost $206M and although Region Five was suggested, the location of the facility is still to be determined.
He noted that government is thinking to have the abattoir built through the public/private partnership agreement with the private sector.
Minister Persaud said all cattle preparation facilities must be up to standard if local farmers are to export beef on a large scale.
He mentioned that farmers have lamented that Guyana has long been without an acceptable abattoir facility which can meet the specifications of international animal health and safety regulations.
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Cabinet concerned over industrial unrest
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said that cabinet is very worried over the state of industrial unrest in the country.
Dr Luncheon was speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President today and stated that Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir has provided Cabinet with an update on the situation.
He highlighted four areas of concern including the disputes between the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers’ Union (GAWU); the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) and the Guyana Post Office Corporation and the casual workers.
The GuySuCo employees are disputing the annual production incentive provided by the company and Dr Luncheon disclosed that there is a deadlock at conciliation.
However, he noted that the union has proposed that the parties go to arbitration on the matter.
According to Dr Luncheon, Cabinet was of the view that resolution was necessary to prevent exacerbation in the industrial environment and any negative impact on the economy.
With regards to the matter concerning RUSAL and the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union, Dr Luncheon noted that operations at the company have continued in full swing since the resumption of work.
He mentioned that the petition by workers to have the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board de-recognise the union is currently being processed.
Dr Luncheon added that the Post Office Corporation has since settled the matter successfully with the re-employment of about 80 workers.
The Cabinet Secretary also pointed out that the wage dispute between GPL and GPSU which was at arbitration is now at a standstill.
He explained that a difficulty has arisen over the composition of the tribunal that was set up to arbitrate, bringing the process to a halt.
Minister Nadir had dismissed claims that the labour department had failed in its mandate to intervene in the dispute between RUSAL and the Bauxite Union.
The minister explained that the department had done all in its power to assuage the situation and has been involved in taking the matter to its farthest point.
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President, other CARICOM leaders in Suriname for youth development discussions
President Bharrat Jagdeo and other CARICOM leaders arrived in Paramaribo, Suriname today to participate in an intense two days of deliberations on youth development in the Caribbean - their circumstances and measures to ensure that their future is promising.
The President and a Guyanese delegation, which includes the Minister with responsibility for youth, Dr. Frank Anthony, arrived at the Royal Tororica Hotel, from where it is anticipated that they will forward Guyana’s agenda relating to its national youth policy.
This meeting holds historic significance since it would be the first Summit of the Conference of Heads of Government - the highest decision making body of the Community - on youth. It would be the culmination of a three-year probe into their circumstances - a task given to the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD).
The CARICOM Heads of Government had mandated the Commission to conduct a “full scale analysis of the challenges and opportunities for youth in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and to make recommendations on how best to empower them and improve their well-being.”
After three years of concentrated research, the CCYD now has its draft report titled Eye on the Future: Invest in YOUTH NOW for the Community Tomorrow. This Report was presented at the Youth Summit, which encompassed a Regional Youth Forum, a Special Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on Youth and Development, and now a Heads of Government Summit on Youth Development.
The report, conducted by former World Bank Economist, Jad Chaaban, is accompanied by a cost/benefit analysis, “Costs and Benefits from Investing in Youth in the CARICOM Member States: A Quantitative Assessment of the Youth Development Strategy”. Chaaban believes that by quantifying the economic impacts of young people’s socio-economic challenges, there could be a correction of the systematic underinvestment in youth development programmes in the Caribbean.
The Regional Youth Forum has been supported by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and looked at, among other things, increasing young people’s contribution to the national and regional youth agenda.
Much anticipation surrounds the Heads of Government Summit which is supported by the European Union through the Caribbean Integration Support Programme.
It is set to counter a mind-set that youth are, for the most part, apathetic towards serious issues which affect their daily lives. The CCYD consulted with more than six thousand young people across the Region who articulated their challenges.
In is also anticipated that Heads will hold some discussions on the earthquake which ravaged their sister CARICOM member-state Haiti, and measures that they have begun to take as it relates to assistance.
Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, is expected to update colleague heads on intervention made of the grouping’s behalf thus far.
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Gov’t school feeding programme to be extended
- Ministry signs contracts with suppliers
Government in its quest to reduce illiteracy in schools has introduced several programmes geared at providing necessary implements to encourage increased attendance and higher levels of excellence.
Under its School Feeding Programme, the Ministry of Education has recorded success in increased punctuality and attendance in the 10 Administrative Regions. In this regard, the School Feeding Programme will be extended to include other communities this year as Government is increasing the spending on these programmes.
Minister of Education Shaik Baksh, this morning, signed contracts with local conglomerates Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and Banks DIH for the provision of Topco fruit juices and biscuits respectively to fuel its programme on the Coastland.
In collaboration with the private sector, the Ministry will be providing biscuits and fortified fruit juices for students at the nursery and primary levels. The programme will commence next week, where schools on the Coast and Riverain areas will receive snacks to distribute to children on a daily basis. Regions to benefit from this programme include Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice), Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice).
Minister Baksh explained that this is a targeted programme where 322 Nursery Schools and 327 Primary Schools will benefit. These will cater for over 51,000 students. At the Primary level, students from Grades One and Two are benefiting from this initiative in Coastal and Riverain areas.
The annual cost of this programme to Government is $800M and Minister Baksh stated that the programme provides a nutritious snack for students which has served to improve health and concentration.
The Minister noted that with the supply of locally produced fruit juices for the programme, farmers will be encouraged to ‘Grow More’, since the demand will be higher.
Representing Banks DIH were Marketing Director George McDonald and Company Secretary Terry Bynoe. Assistant General Manager of DDL Tarachand Khelawan said the company will be providing five flavour of juices to the programme including cherry, passion, pineapple, guava and fruit punch. He pointed out that the juices are made from local fruits and this will provide an opportunity for farmers to supply larger quantities, since in the past the company had limited its intake to supply existing markets.
The Ministry has three separate school feeding programmes one of which provides hot meals to students of Hinterland communities in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
This programme is effected under the Education For All/Fast Track Initiative (EFA/FTI) in collaboration with residents of the communities who have constructed the kitchens and who supply the produce.
Minister Baksh explained that at the end of 2009, approximately 83 schools were covered under the programme and 15,000 students at the Primary level have been benefiting.
The annual cost of the programme is over $500 M and there are plans for this to be extended this year, the Minister said. In 2010, the Ministry hopes to have an additional 29 schools benefit from the programme.
Meanwhile, hinterland students have also been benefiting from a peanut snack programme which provides cassava bread, peanut butter and juice as a nutritional snack. There are also plans to extend this in 2010 so that more students can benefit. Last year, 14 schools benefited from the programme and it is expected that an additional 26 schools will be added this year. This year’s project is expected to cost $30M.
The programme is managed by the Society for Sustainable Operating Systems (SSOS) and member of the Society Jerry La Graw stated that every child in the chosen schools receive the snack on a daily basis. He pointed out that findings from a survey of the programme shows clearly that there has been a marked increase in attendance and concentration among the student population.
Over 500 farmers earn from this project through the supply of raw materials including fruits, peanuts and cassava. The project commenced in 2005 as a pilot project and La Graw stated that since then through the SSOS there have been technical improvements so residents are able to process peanut butter, cassava bread and other products in the Rupununi which are consumed under the programme.
Last year, Government allocated $710M in the National Budget to expand the school feeding programme to be effected at 100 primary schools in Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine.
The school-feeding programme was introduced in the late 1980s as part of a poverty eradication project conducted in Third World countries, aimed at assisting families who were unable to provide sufficient meals for their children while at school. In 1995, the World Bank Programme ceased its supply of goods, and Government decided to take over the responsibility for the entire programme, since many students were benefiting from it.
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Gov’t officials to meet Bartica miners and residents
- To discuss mining, forestry, developmental issues
In ensuring greater transparency and inclusion in the governing process, Ministers of Government will be meeting residents and miners of Bartica and nearby areas on Saturday, January 30, to discuss mining, forestry and developmental issues.
Acting Prime Minister Robert Persaud will be heading the team which comprises Minister of Transport and Hydraulics and Chairman of the Land Use Committee Robeson Benn, Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission William Woolford and Chairman of the Guyana Forestry Commission James Singh.
The visit will seek to clarify issues of concern to miners and residents alike as it relates to mining issues, since there have been recent efforts to misled miners.
Minister Benn recently rebuked the ambitions of those wishing to undermine the Committee’s efforts. The Land Use Committee was established by President Bharrat Jagdeo to create conditions necessary for a harmonized sustainable utilization of resources in the mining and forestry sectors.
The Minister had explained that efforts were recently made in Linden and Bartica to misinform miners, especially small scale miners and instill unjustified fears and anxieties with respect to the committee and its functions.
“I wish to join in the widespread condemnation of these negative efforts and, I urge that the stakeholders in the sectors await the imminent provision of the protocols which would indeed, I am sure belie the mischievous representations that are now abroad, in some quarters,” Minister Benn said.
The committee comprises officials from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and the Guyana Forestry Commission and is working according to the laws and as such there will be no veto in favour of the forestry sector as against the mining sector.
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Cabinet approves four contracts
At a post-Cabinet media briefing today, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon advised that Cabinet at its January 26 statutory meeting, offered its no objection to four contracts in the areas of health and training.
The approved contracts are as follows:
SECTOR |
TENDER |
VALUE OF AWARD |
Health |
Rehabilitation and upgrade of the tuberculosis clinic at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Construction of additional buildings for the Ministry of Health in Brickdam.
Provision of maintenance services for the industrial air condition systems at the GPHC.
|
$59.4M
$37.9M
$31.8M |
Training |
Rehabilitation of the Kuru Kuru Resource Center, Linden, Soesdyke Highway. |
$17.2M |
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Cabinet deems MEN’s week activities remarkably successful – HPS
…PNC/R’s criticisms fail to recognize importance of issue
At his weekly media briefing today at the Office of the President, Dr. Roger Luncheon, Cabinet Secretary, revealed that Cabinet has been encouraged by the recent MEN’s week activities organized by the Minister of Human Services and Social Security and the Men’s Empowerment Network (MEN), and deemed it “remarkably successful”.
“Cabinet views that the level of support by stakeholders and the responsiveness of the male adult population augured well for the future. Dr. (Myles) Munroe’s message, Cabinet felt, that targeted males as well as the Guyanese society, was deemed unambiguous, timely and appropriate. His call to take stock of the future of Guyana by improving the quality of the lives we live today, Cabinet thought, that the message resonates,” he noted.
Dr. Luncheon was also very critical of the response of the main opposition party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), to the activities, citing them for adopting a “very awkward, useless, irrelevant attitude… when they are dealing with or confronting systemic issues”.
He stressed that the PNC/R are trying to settle scores, rather than focusing on the big picture.
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Cabinet remains concerned about ongoing impact of El Nino weather phenomenon
Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, today stressed that Cabinet remains worried about the drought-like conditions that persist along the coast as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon, and will continue to monitor the situation closely and adopt additional measures that are deemed necessary to bring relief to those affected.
The Cabinet Secretary was, at the time, addressing the media at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President.
He noted that Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, briefed Cabinet on the situation, pointing out that the impact on the coast has been most felt by the large-scale farming community, particularly rice farmers, in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six.
“Minister observed that the levels of fresh water in the conservancies were of much concern, markedly reduced, leading to pumping of water into the conservancies to maintain irrigation of farming lands and communities,” Dr. Luncheon said.
He noted that Minister Persaud had told Cabinet that water diversion, mechanical pumping and rationing will continue to be exploited by his Ministry, but if the drought-like conditions continue to prevail for most of the first quarter of this year, other options would have to be looked at to bring relief to affected individuals and communities.
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Guyana prepared to provide long-term support to Haiti-HPS
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon at a post- Cabinet press briefing today said that Government is prepared to support the long-term response for Haiti, planned by CARICOM to go beyond immediate disaster interventions. This effort will be led by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA) of which Guyana is a participating State and the CARICOM Community.
The HPS said that the dire post-earthquake situation in Haiti continues to engage the attention of the Government. He said that the overwhelming support displayed by Guyanese to the appeals of the National Committee for Haiti Relief as well as other entities who are mounting similar humanitarian appeals.
“Those responses are reflective of Guyanese established record of sympathy and concerns for those in distress,” Dr. Luncheon said.
He said that Cabinet endorses the actions taken by the Committee as it promoted charitable humanitarian responses among the sectors and along the length and breadth of Guyana.
The funds collected by the Committee would be used to support the CARICOM health initiative in Haiti, as well as non-health related responses. Contributions of dry goods, clothes, pharmaceutical and other supplies would also form part of Guyana’s response.
On January 26, a vessel with four containers packed with flour, refined coconut oil, pharmaceuticals, water and clothes departed from the John Fernandes Wharf, Water Street, for Jamaica, the established focal point, from where it will then be transported to Haiti.
Additionally, the Committee continues to receive funds and other resources from corporate Guyana, religious bodies and kind-hearted Guyanese.
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Gov’t will not undertake measures that jeopardize mining sector – HPS
Cabinet Secretary. Dr. Roger Luncheon, at his post-Cabinet press conference at the Office of the President today stressed that Government will not undertake any measure that will harm the mining sector, and remains open to discussions and consultations to that effect.
“We are committed to the growth and development of the mining sector and what we intend to introduce is not a threat to the sector,” Dr. Luncheon said.
He highlighted that Government has heavily supported the industry over the years, which has led to its rapid expansion. Of this, he said, Government is “unashamedly proud”.
“We take all the plaudits for what the mining industry has become over the years, where we took it and where we are today. We’re proud of that and that’s what this Administration did, both in the good times and for those who remember, the bad times, when the price collapsed and the Government intervened in so many ways to support the affected miners,” the Cabinet Secretary stated.
He noted that the facts that miners are mobilizing to defend the gains that they have made point to the success of Government’s effort to protect and promote the industry.
Dr. Luncheon further stated that many of the smaller miners are being manipulated, and misinformed about Government’s intentions towards the industry, by those who have vested interests and beliefs about the sector, and noted that these energies can be better utilized.
“Half of this energy that has been spent mobilizing and moving around ought to be placed in a constructive dialogue among stakeholders to get a better understanding of what is necessary, what is to come and to put in place the specific interventions and contingencies that are necessary to keep the mining industry on its upwards trajectory,” he urged.
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Gov’t criticism of judiciary focuses on procedures, not judgments – HPS
Head of the President Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, today stressed that Government’s criticism of the judiciary focuses on procedures, rather than rulings or judgments, as “the intransigence of entrenched forces intent to thwart the will of the Administration and not allow a just remedy to the (CLICO) situation” are permitted to continue.
Dr. Luncheon was also critical of the unease of commentators to criticize others, including the judiciary, when Government is the prime target of criticism for the shortcomings that occur in the various sector of the country.
The Cabinet Secretary was, at the time, addressing the media at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President.
He highlighted that Guyana remains the only CARICOM country in which the collapse of the local CLICO subsidiary has not been suitably resolved for the benefit of those affected.
“The President said money is available to deal with categories of the dispossessed of this CLICO debacle and he blames the judiciary for this most untimely response. The matter has moved off of the front burner in almost all of the CARICOM countries and as you said, it still remains something that is tossing and turning in Guyana,” Dr. Luncheon said.
“The resort (of other CARICOM countries) to their judicial system on the groundswell of what impact it has on their former CLICO policyholders, their institutional investors and on the economy of those countries allowed a seamless resolution in the courts. Why is Guyana different? It can’t be the impact. The options are the same. Is it something unusual about those who are disadvantaged in Guyana?” he questioned.
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