Black Immigrant Daily News

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday commissioned a new coconut seedling nursery in Hosororo Village, Barima – Waini (Region One).

The nursery, which is located in the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute’s (NAREI) compound, was constructed and stocked at a cost of $4.3 million.

At full capacity, the nursery will be able to produce some 206,000 seedlings annually.

In addition to the nursery, Minister Mustapha also commissioned several new pieces of equipment for NAREI’s spice processing facility. These pieces of equipment, which include a ginger washer, ginger slicer, ginger grinder, and a vibro sifter, were procured at a cost of $9,747,756.

While offering remarks at the event, Minister Mustapha said the construction of the facility is part of the government’s decentralization efforts for the agriculture sector.

“Today is a great day for us. We are here to commission a new coconut nursery. We know many farmers in the region would usually travel to Georgetown to purchase quality seedlings. After consultation, we decided to have one constructed here so you can benefit from the same services the farmers in Georgetown and other coastal areas receive. Having this facility here will not only reduce the cost of acquiring the planting materials you need but it will also help us to increase our national production figures. This is part of our coconut decentralization programme,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha noted that given the benefits of and the growing demand for coconuts and coconut bi-products, farmers in Guyana should get involved in coconut production. He said the government is working to make the necessary resources available to expand the industry.

“We all know the benefits of coconuts. The world is also cognizant of the benefits of coconuts and all of their many uses. Anyone who is involved in this industry will benefit from several streams of income because of its many bi-products. You can use coconut fibers, you can make oils, soaps, lotions, beauty supplies, pharmaceuticals, and cooking products just to name a few. The coconut water industry alone is estimated at $2.2 billion. We have to take advantage of the global demand. We have the land and we are making the materials and inputs available. We can tap into those markets,” the minister said.

He also told farmers that following this year’s Agri Investment Forum and Expo which was held back in May, many investors are now coming to Guyana to invest, some of whom have expressed interest in investing in the production of spices.

While noting that access to markets continues to be an issue in the region, the minister said that the government through the New Guyana Marketing Corporation has been successful in finding markets for farmers in other remote parts of the country. While assuring farmers that issues with access to markets will now be a thing of the past, Minister Mustapha told the farmers that the government is currently engaging the CARICOM Member States to remove the non-tariff barriers to many of Guyana’s traditional products.

CARDI’s Representative in Guyana, Mr. Juman Kundun noted that the demand for coconut is constantly increasing in the region and globally. Furthermore, the CARDI Head said that Guyana is among three of the major coconut-producing countries in the region; producing some 20 per cent of the region’s demand while the Dominican Republic produces some 59 per cent, and Jamaica some 12 per cent.

With that said, Mr. Kundun lauded the government’s efforts towards expanding the industry, adding that initiatives like this will enable Guyana to go beyond its current production levels.

General Manager of Hope Estate, Ricky Roopchand indicated that the facility will be able to service the region’s demand and that the first set of seedlings will be available for purchase by the end of December. [Extracted from DPI]

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname, Keith George has been designated for a new posting as Guyana’s High Commissioner to Canada, a posting that the diplomat is expected to take up within days.

This was confirmed by Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud. Additionally, he said that a successor for George in Suriname has already been identified.

George’s diplomatic career span over 29 years. He has worked in the Technical Cooperation and Political Departments of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He was once the Director of the Frontier Department.

George’s posting comes just weeks after he was summoned to a meeting with the Surinamese Foreign Minister, Krishna Mathoera, regarding criticism from officials in Guyana of Suriname’s failure to grant fishing licences to Guyanese fishermen which has been a topical issue in recent times.

Email correspondence sent from high officials in the Surinamese Government to their Guyanese counterparts show that at one point Suriname had promised Guyana that the fishing licences for Guyanese to fish in Surinamese waters would have been issued on January 1, 2021.

In the email dated December 13, 2020, which was seen by this publication, Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Prahlad Sewdien had written to Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, informing him that the fishing licences would be issued from January 1 of the next year and that they would try to have preparations completed within two weeks.

The email also acknowledged the list of fishermen that Mustapha had sent to Sewdien, while also suggesting various actions that should be taken to complete the process of issuing the licences, under Surinamese law.

These suggestions included having the fishermen register their vessels in their own name and the appointment of a State-owned company to be their business partner and sign a “vesselbasing” agreement.

Meanwhile, Sewdien had also promised to track down the Surinamese middlemen who had been renting licences to Guyanese fishermen, at exorbitant prices. In the email, he asked Mustapha to have the fishermen mail copies of their licences.

“With that, it will be easier for us to trace the middlemen. These middlemen have registered the boats on their own names in the Fisheries Register at our Maritime Authority. We will have to get it changed,” Sewdien also said in the email.

In the past, the Surinamese Opposition has pushed the Government for clarity on the issuance of licences to Guyanese fishermen. It is understood that the issue was raised by Opposition Parliamentarian Melvin Bouva, in the Suriname National Assembly, on Tuesday.

Following a high-level meeting in Guyana during August 2021 between President Dr Irfaan Ali and Surinamese President Chandrikaprashad Santokhi, the two leaders had issued a joint press statement indicating that the age-old issue of licences for Guyanese fisherfolk to operate in Suriname’s territorial waters would be addressed.

These fishermen operate from the Corentyne Coast and have to use the Corentyne River to gain access to the Atlantic where they get most of their catch. The Corentyne River is considered Surinamese territory. Currently, the licences are issued to Surinamese businessmen at US$100 per year and rented to the Guyanese fisherfolk at US$3000 annually.

About 150 boats operate from the Number 66 Fisherman’s Co-op Society thus providing direct employment for about 800 fishermen. Additionally, some 200 persons are employed in providing services which include transportation, fish vending, and repairs to machinery and equipment.

Guyana has already said that it would be bringing this matter before the Caribbean Community (Caricom), since Suriname is also a member state. And comments by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo that Surinamese businesses could be met with reciprocal treatment in Guyana, were met by the Surinamese Government pleading in a statement for all parties to await a diplomatic resolution of the issue.

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The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority has launched a campaign celebrating Saint Lucian enterprise and creativity and encouraging greater ownership of the opportunities that a new policy direction in tourism will offer.

The campaign also calls for dedicated commitment making Saint Lucia the best place to live and work.

The new multimedia campaign from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority is themed “OUR SAINT LUCIA”.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority Lorine Charles-St. Jules says the OUR SAINT LUCIA campaign seeks to not only celebrate the strides made in making Saint Lucia a much sought-after destination.

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It actively encourages citizens to seize on the opportunities being created through a new policy direction for Tourism.

The OUR SAINT LUCIA campaign highlights organic success stories which can serve as inspiration for the involvement of a new generation in the tourism sector.

The SLTA campaign also addresses key social issues that impact the quality of life in Saint Lucia. For example, OUR SAINT LUCIA urges conversations on tackling social issues such as peer pressure and crime.

The campaign is reaching out to youth, urging their involvement in finding solutions to social issues but also in taking ownership of Saint Lucia’s heritage, both natural and cultural.

OUR SAINT LUCIA celebrates industry and the creativity that gives the island’s its uniqueness and appeal.

The OUR SAINT LUCIA outreach is the first phase of a broader public awareness campaign aligned to the government’s new policy direction that seeks to ensure St. Lucians enjoy a greater share of the benefits of the travel and hospitality industry.

SOURCE: Saint Lucia Tourism Authority

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BWA electrical upgrades in St Philip, St George, no supply disruption Loop Barbados

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