Dear Editor,
The plight of the peoples of Ituni, Kwakwani, and Region 10 as a whole is the ultimate example of what I am trying to point out and hopefully reverse when I pen these letters to the press. Maybe it has gone unnoticed, but I have been constantly mentioning those areas in my letters. I have been saying that, more than anything else, those areas need serious assistance in business development, finance and financial management so that the people can take full advantage of the enormous opportunities that exist around them. Since the dismissal of the striking workers at Rusal, a couple of years ago, I have contended that given the four logging concessions distributed to the region, there is no reason for the massive dependence on working for the bauxite companies.
Recently, the people of Ituni vented their frustration at the situation in which they have found themselves, by blocking the main thoroughfare through the area. Since then I have been waiting patiently to see a delegation from groups like ACDA, heading out to the community to get firsthand knowledge of the situation and see what assistance or advice can be given. You may ask, why not government? Well, while government can always do more, in the case of that part of the region they have done reasonably well to put the community on the right footing– even in the absence of not ensuring that there is a proper road from Linden.
There is an Ituni Loggers’ Association that has legal access to over 100,000 acres of forested land, which places them in the category of being owners of a Timber Sales Agreement, the same as a Barama. With proper guidance and financing through partnerships and other financial models, there could be healthy logging, furniture manufacturing and charcoal producing industries mushrooming in the region.
Not to mention wicker furniture, basket weaving, aquaculture, farming, unique teas and arts and craft. Traditional financing may not be possible due to the lack of creditworthiness and the fact that the house lots in the village are still not transported.
One may ask, what do I know about Ituni. Why my interest in the area? Well, my last five years in Guyana were spent in Ituni, in the logging business as executed by the community. A read of my book, The Ituni Experience, will give you the full and detailed picture of the situation and well beyond. I have witnessed their innovation, their potential and their willingness to work hard. But I also observed their challenges and their weaknesses.
Considering the amount of chainsaw lumber that was produced by the community over the years – consistently between 40% to 45% of all the chainsaw lumber produced in the country – one wonders why the need for protest. Why isn’t that area the most vibrant in the country? That is what I think social organizations and our community as a whole should address and try to fix.
To put everything as simply as possible: when I arrived in Ituni in 1995-96, an investment of $100,000.00 in greenheart or purpleheart production could get you a full ROI and $200,000.00 in surplus, in three to four weeks. Check back and see what a qualified top public servant was making at the time.
Most likely, less than half of that per month. A lot of money was made in the area. Our problem is not about how to make money; it is about how to keep it and make it grow.
I understand that the recent protest was a reaction to person/s from the coast getting to log close to the Ituni community while villagers have to travel up to 100 miles to their concession.
This made me smile knowingly. Many villagers had concessions close to the village. They were abandoned. Many persons stopped paying for them and lost the rights to them. It was not a problem because the land did not have an abundance of the top species like greenheart and purpleheart.
When I arrived in Ituni, the hunt was done illegally on other persons’ concessions, up to four and five hours’ tractor drive from the village. I was also in the hunt. Those who maintained ownership of their concessions close to the village provided removal permits to get the lumber out and to the city for everyone, at a price. This is no secret to the GFC.
Then in 1997 a piece of land became available about four hours’ drive from the village, and I was lucky to get my own concession along with five other coastlanders. Meanwhile, it was business as usual with the rest of the community, creating a headache for forestry officials. Then GFC came up with a truly innovative plan to help the villagers. The villagers were advised to form an association, and in 2001, land given to me and the five others was reallocated and became part of a bigger parcel of land that was given, legally, to the Ituni Loggers Association. At that time, villagers were already working beyond that point.
Today, when I ask questions about what is happening in the village the answer is that the majority of loggers cannot get to their concession. The reason? It is not about the distance, it is about failing machinery, due to wear, and the inability to re-invest. It is because there is no association when it comes to a working strategy.
Every person in the association has individual businesses going. There is no cooperation in road maintenance, production and transportation. It is every man for himself, basically.
There is a main bridge into the concession. Many efforts were made by me and others, to have the villagers come together and repair that bridge. Maybe up until now it has not happened. During the time I worked there, some made it while others could not make it over the bridge. If the bridge is still not repaired many association members cannot get to their legitimate concession.
That is why I can very well understand why the villagers would want to return to work on lands closer to the village, but remember, those lands were mostly deemed unprofitable to work in the past. My book will give one the full scope of the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Region 10. It also highlights another set of challenges for any African trying to do business in Guyana. That is why social organizations need to get to work. It is way outside the realm of what a government, especially this one, can and is willing to do.
Yours faithfully,
F Skinner
