Minister with responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh on Friday stressed to Berbicians that a strong non-oil economy, with agriculture among its pillars, is extremely important to his government.
Singh made his case during a series of community meetings with residents in Gangaram Village, East Canje Berbice, Cane-field, East Canje Berbice and Number 19 Village, Corentyne.
According to the minister, the government has always said that it is committed to putting Guyana back on the path of development and he told residents that while there is excitement about the oil and gas sector, it is equally working to developing a strong non-oil economy. “Agriculture, tourism, other services etc… We believe that having a strong non-oil economy is very good.”
He made it clear that agriculture is on top of the list “and Region Six has the greatest potential as far agriculture is concerned.”
Reiterating that the PPP/C intends to bring development progressively throughout Guyana, Singh noted that Region Six is the “agriculture capital” of Guyana, considering the vast of amount of food it produces, “and it has the potential to produce even more.”
Furthermore, he stated that his government’s intention is to make sure that it puts in place the infrastructure that is necessary to create economic opportunities so that persons can sell their produce to processors who will create value-added products which in turn will earn greater revenue for them as individuals, and the country.
The minister also pointed out that there are plans in the budget to make land available, which is important to create economic opportunities for Guyanese.
He also informed that his government is also investing in infrastructure, education, health, and information technology. “We want to ensure your children have the same access as children anywhere else in the world.”
Touching on the sugar industry, Singh sought to remind the gathering what the closure of the sugar estates did to workers and their families, while noting that the then APNU/AFC government did not take that into consideration.
He added that while the process to reopen the estates and improve GuySuCo is not an easy task, his government is prepared to do “whatever it takes.”
He also told the residents that the PPP/C government will continue to work to make rice even more competitive and promote other crops. Addi-tionally, he said that it is also looking at improving the delivery and quality of social services. “Let me say to you that we know that there is a lot that needs to be done because of the damage that was done over the last five years and we are committed as government to try do as much as we possibly can.”
The minister also took time to speak about demo-cracy, as he said that his party has always worked to ensure the restoration of democracy. According to him, in 2015, when young persons were told about the life under the PNC, they took it as merely history but that for the last five years they were given a firsthand opportunity to see and experience for themselves what life under the PNC was like.
He said it was evident that after 2015 persons were surprised to see the progress that the PPP/C government had made starting to reverse anti-democratic direction being taken. “The PNC has never changed”, he declared, as he stressed that the behaviour exhibited after the 2020 general elections was similar to that seen pre-1992.
Some of the issues raised at the locations in Canje include the need for a dumping site, drainage issues, road issues, and NIS issues.
Minister Singh told the residents that if a site is designated for dumping then residents throughout East Canje, Berbice, will have to bear the responsibility for transporting their garbage to the location agreed upon by everyone. He also urged residents continuously to act in a responsible manner.
In relation to the deplorable state of the cross streets in Canefield, which was raised by several residents, the minister responded that the streets would be placed on the list for consideration. He, however, made it clear that it does not mean works will be carried out immediately, while assuring that government is working to improve roads and cross streets every year.
Additionally, the minister spoke about the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) issues that were raised and collected the relevant information from those present to forward to the NIS for further action. He also committed to holding outreaches solely to deal with NIS issues in Region Six next month.
The residents of East Canje Berbice seemed extremely happy to hear from Singh for the first time since taking office. An elderly resident of Gangaram Village, James Basant, 72, along with several other residents thanked the minister for delivering a “great budget.”
