Along with oil and gas, Guyana and India are set to collaborate in a number of sectors which will see vaccine, waste treatment and cement plants being established here, according to Indian High Commissioner Dr K J Srinivasa.
“… All these sectors are going to see action this year and I believe Guyana will stand to benefit from it. India’s stand has been very clear… We are in the business of brotherly, sisterly relations… and we continue to do that,” the High Commissioner told Stabroek News during an interview.
President Irfaan Ali recently led a delegation, which included government officials and members of the private sector, to India. During the visit, discussions were held on several areas and India expressed its interest in the oil and gas sector here.
Srinivasa told Stabroek News on Wednesday that during the visit the Guyanese delegation showed the possible opportunities that exist between the two countries. Among other areas that are being explored are human resources, health care and renewable energy, he said.
“We are working up [to build] a vaccine plant in Guyana for animal and human diseases. There is work going on for education, IT, biotechnology, agriculture, agro-processing, healthcare, renewable energy… We believe that Guyana stands to benefit from a long-term partner for oil; India will stand to benefit from a supplier of oil,” the High Commissioner said.
India has been asked to submit a written proposal outlining its interest in the oil and gas sector.
“There has been a keen interest, consistently from India, to be a long-term purchaser of crude oil from Guyana. In addition to that interest, they have expressed also a keen desire to support us in the entire ecosystem around the oil and gas sector,” Ali had told a press con-ference on his return. “I said to the team that they should put in a proposal as to what exactly they are proposing, in terms of a long-term agreement, and that has to be examined technically. In a meeting with the minister, the interest of exploring that government-to-government collaboration was very clear,” he added.
Srinivasa said India was in the process of forming high-level technical teams after which the first meeting will be held.
“We… will work out when, how, what… So India would of course through its public sector enterprise called ONGC (the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) be interested in bidding for oil blocks in this round of bidding,” he told Stabroek News. He added that he thought the bidding would end in May.
