Government will implement a land classification system to revise and update rental values for land, Minister of State Joseph Harmon has said.
“…we intend to develop and implement a classification methodology for revision of rental rates based on assessments of the market value of land,” Harmon said when he appeared before the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources at the Public Buildings yesterday.
“Currently, there is a big cry for lands for various purposes, for domestic as well as industrial and agricultural purposes but the true value of the land has to be properly ascertained,” he pointed out while adding that the last valuation was done a number of years ago. He said the price paid for one acre of State land to the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) is low.
Further, the minister said, even in areas where land rates are extremely low, big companies have failed to pay their rates resulting in difficult circumstances for the GLSC. He said government wants to change this and ensure that the GLSC is profitable and will not need too much government intervention to keep it going.
The land classification will be done under a new project currently being implemented. Harmon said the GLSC is working to improve land management, combat and reduce land degradation and promote land reclamation under a sustainable land development and management project. It has three components and apart from the land classification system, one component will address land development and land reclamation while the third component seeks to strengthen the Commission’s information system and infrastructure for informed and holistic decision making.
Meantime, Harmon said government is aware that an integrated and holistic approach is required to address climate change challenges and in this regard, said the administration is working on an institutionalised climate change governance mechanism.
The minister also acknowledged the PPP/C’s administration Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) but said that the focus now is to transform the strategy into a “truly national economy-wide policy that will propel us along a green economy pathway.” He revealed that talks are still ongoing regarding an extension of an agreement with Norway under which Oslo pays Guyana to protect its forests. He reiterated that government is interested in continuing the agreement but would like to see some amendments to it.
Head of the Office of Climate Change Janelle Christian also spoke of some of the challenges being faced and she highlighted the need for additional technical officers.
As it relates to science and technology, Harmon said government considers these disciplines as important elements in transitioning the economy into a green pathway. In this regard, he said the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) will be a bit more proactive and take the results of experiments into communities so they can benefit.
The ‘greening’ of Bartica and likely challenges was also raised while Professor Clive Thomas who was part of Harmon’s team revealed that government is in the process of creating a national energy policy.
