Hopeful small miners flocked the Guyana Geology and Mines Commis-sion (GGMC) lottery of special mining permits held yesterday.
A total of 360 mining parcels were made available for the lottery, which was held at Mabura, Port Kaituma, Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem.
Reports are that the Bartica lottery attracted the largest turnout, with more than 200 persons turning up to vie for the 60 mining blocks made available by the GGMC. There was also a large turnout at Port Kaituma as several dozen persons, many of whom made last minute applications on Monday, turned up at the Region One community yesterday. With the overwhelming numbers received, there were calls yesterday for the mining commission to hold another lottery soon.
The last mining lottery for small scale miners was held in November 2009. Another was put off on several occasions thereafter.
President of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) Patrick Harding told Stabroek News that the response by the general populace is a positive sign for the sector. “It shows that people are interested in mining,” he said, adding that it also indicates that the GGMC would have to find lands for small miners to gainfully occupy.
The procedure for obtaining a mining block includes a rigorous application process that requires that the applicant meet certain criteria. The criteria include being the owner of at least one piece of mining equipment registered with the GGMC; and that he/she is not the owner of more than five mining claims or a medium or small scale mining property. Each mining claim covers 28 to 29 acres of land.
The name of each applicant was pulled from a box and the GGMC then scrutinised the applicant’s record to certify if he/she met the requirements.
The mining sector has seen an increasing interest as the price of gold on the domestic and international markets remains high, while declarations have surpassed annual targets of more than 300,000 tonnes in recent times. However, the sector’s continued growth has also attracted criminals, with marauding bandits targeting mining operations across interior districts, and especially the Cuyuni/Mazaruni, which has the largest number of mining operations across the country and is difficult to police.
