Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday formed a committee in the Upper Corentyne which will be responsible for selecting the 150 fishermen to be sent to Suriname to acquire licences to fish in Suriname’s waters.
The Vice President held a series of meetings with sugar workers, fishermen, aquaculture farmers and others in Region Six on Monday.
At the fishermen’s meeting held at the Number 66 Fishing Complex, he explained, that Suriname has requested 150 names for the possibility of granting fishing licences. However, he asked that a committee be created on the spot with representatives from the various co-ops since they were all invited, so that the names can come from the local fisher-folks themselves, and to also ensure that a fair and clear selection process is carried out.
The agreement for the 150 licences had been reached here during the visit by Suriname’s President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
Pledging that the fishing sector will have the government’s “full support”, Jagdeo added that they are aware that the cost of electricity is a major issue for persons within that sector. However, he is hopeful that by 2024 a pipeline will be built so as to bring gas to shore and generate twice as much the power as GPL supplies to the entire country “and cut the electricity price by 50% for everybody.”
He noted that the price of cooking gas will also decrease as it will be a byproduct of the project.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, who was also present for the meeting, said that the committee will comprise two representatives from each co-op and the country’s Chief Fisheries Officer.
He stressed, “There are some persons who have 30 boats, so we have to set this committee and let them decide and bring their recommendation to us.”
Meanwhile, Parmeshwar Jainarine, Chairman of the Corentyne Fishermen’s Cooperative Society, informed the Vice President that there have been numerous reports of fishermen being harassed in the Suriname waters. “They are facing tremendous harassment right now. Up to recently the Surinamese tell them they have to cut their boat to ten meters and it’s not practical…”, he relayed.
Other fishermen gathered also voiced the same concerns noting that they are being harassed and bullied tremendously by Surinamese soldiers.
Jagdeo said that he will speak to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd to raise the issue with their counterparts in Suriname. However, he encouraged the fishermen to report such issues to the foreign affairs ministry as soon as they happen.
Meanwhile, Jagdeo and Mustapha also met with aquaculture farmers on Monday in Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, where Mustapha noted that the initiative to increase shrimp production within the region is going full steam ahead, as works on almost 32 ponds were completed, while other works were ongoing.
In July, Mustapha had said that they will be spending $58 million to reach the target of 500,000 kg. Presently, the industry produces between 150,000 kg and 200,000 kg annually.
