(Trinidad Guardian) Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Robert Persaud says Guyana needs 100,000 additional workers and a call has gone out for Guyanese diaspora to consider returning home to build their country.
Persaud was one of several representatives of the Government of Guyana speaking with members of the Guyanese community residing in Trinidad and Tobago, on Tuesday night, at the Passage to Asia Restaurant, Chaguanas.
According to Persaud the Guyanese economy is growing at a fast pace and both skilled and unskilled workers are needed to fill public and private sector jobs. He said the Government of Guyana is trying to woo members of its diaspora to return by offering several incentives including tax concessions on personal effects such as vehicles and housing lots in Guyana.
Persaud told Guardian Media that the focus for now remains on attracting Guyana’s diaspora before any plans are made to attract non-nationals. He stated persons born in Guyana and whose parents are Guyanese can apply online.
“The Government has had meetings with members of the Guyanese diaspora living in the United States and Suriname,” he revealed, noting that there are over 10,000 Guyanese living in T&T, and possibly more Guyanese living outside of Guyana than are residing in the South American country.
Another member of the delegation, Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, said his country is ramping up food production and offering incentives for investors. Minister Mustapha said the government wants to move agricultural production into the area of downstream production for export. He noted that several processing plants would come into production in different regions of the country.
“Guyana believes that the region can also become self-sufficient in poultry production rather than importing poultry products from outside the region,” the Guyana Agriculture Minister stated.
“Guyana plans to produce two annual crops on 25,000 acres of corn and soya in three years for poultry feed production in order to make our country self-sufficient in poultry,” he revealed.
Minister Mustapha also told those gathered that the Government of Guyana was also looking for investors in the sugar industry.
Guyanese nationals living in Trinidad and Tobago told the visiting delegation they were concerned about cross border security with Venezuela, the social effects of repatriation, the ease of doing business, and guarantees of getting jobs.
