MINISTER of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud has said that there are effective physical and organisational infrastructure to support the gold mining sector, particularly at this time when production has been hit by several negative factors.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday at his Ministry’s boardroom, he acknowledged that unfavourable weather, low prices and high costs of production were undoubtedly some factors which have caused the current reduction in gold mining activities, he said that the issue of low declarations continues to be a matter of concern .
“Given our understanding of some of the negative factors we have been continuously exploring ways in which further support can be provided so that we can see a ramp up or even a return to the 2013 levels of output and ultimately in terms of increased declarations,” he assured.
During a briefing, he listed interventions such as the speeding up of approvals for applications for land, the resumption of auctions and lotteries for land, technical support for identifying gold bearing lands, support to improve gold recovery and easier access to gold mining areas through improved roads, as some of the imperatives being currently pursued.
He said that after several years the GGMC has completed plans to auction off lands to miners. The first such auction targeting medium scale miners is being scheduled for August 11, 2014.
Additionally lotteries for small miners are scheduled for August 18 this year in all six mining districts. These will see hundreds of individuals who at the moment do not have access to their mining properties finally being able to do so.
GGMC has also been diligent in processing applications for necessary permits, he reported, citing the issuing of 727 prospecting permits for medium scale miners within the January to May period this year representing a 68% increase on amounts issued during the same period last year.
In terms of mining permits, 469 permits were issued representing an increase of 89.6% on the amount issued during the same period last year while 18 prospecting licences were approved some 38% above what was approved for the same period.
The GGMC has also stepped up its geological work to assist miners in determining mineral resource estimates for the lands they have been given for gold mining.
The GGMC has acquired the services of an advisor who will lead the work in terms of strategic planning and implementation of exploration and geological programmes.
The GGMC has also focused on moving the large scale mining projects forward namely ETK Sandsprings, Guyana Goldfields and Troy Resources so that the investments they represent can be realised.
He said another area of support is access to mining lands.
Priority has been given to road works with the result that some $1.5B is to be expended on the rehabilitation of roads which provide access to mining areas.
He stressed that this expenditure is dedicated work being done for access to mining areas only and was not related to what the Public Works Ministry was doing in its own road building and maintenance programme.
The GGMC also works to ensure that airstrips are adequately maintained to ensure air access to the mining areas.
With respect to support on the issues of improved mineral recovery and the reduction of operating costs, he reminded that the Government had approved $1B for a revolving fund to support small and medium-scale miners in adopting new processing techniques and use of more efficient equipment.
The GGMC is also exposing miners to new technologies especially in the area of recovery of fine gold, alternatives to the use of mercury, as well as land reclamation practices.
He said that with respect to compliance, the GGMC is streamlining aerial surveillance including real time satellite imagery as a new method of detecting illegal mining and ensure that the regulations related to mining are adhered to.
The Guyana Mining School and Training Centre has been training miners in all areas including new technologies such as use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) using explosives for mining and more than 215 persons have been exposed to such training.
The school intends to train over 180 prospectors who are miners in the field over the next six months to upgrade their skills in exploration for minerals.
The Ministry has also been working on expediting work permits especially for non- nationals and on improving hinterland security which he said is a work in progress.
In terms of bringing down costs for the mining industry Government had facilitated a fuel importation licence for the Guyana Gold and Diamond Mining Association (GGDMA) which will enable the members to set up their own importation and distribution networks and so reduce costs by eliminating middlemen.
The GGMC and the Ministry is also currently considering duty free status for materials used in the gold mining industry.
He said that gold production at the moment reflects a 16% decrease on production during the same period last year.
He said that despite this, the mining community is optimistic that the additional support it is benefiting from will result in improved and increased production over the next few months.

(By Clifford Stanley)