IN continuing with advancements in the agriculture sector, Dr. Dindyal Permaul has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the recently established Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).
The appointment, according to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture, is in accordance with section six of the GLDA Act of 2010 and is effective from January 1, 2011.
The GLDA Act of 2010 was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bharrat Jagdeo on April 14th, 2010. The commencement date of September 1, 2010, was made by an Order signed by Minister Robert Persaud on August 16, 2010, and published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, August 21, 2010.
Under the Act, the GLDA was established to address the effective administration and regulation of the industry.
Some of the deficiencies identified, which prompted such an Act, included lack of suitable volume of cattle, ineffective sanitary surveillance systems, poor institutional support and outdated legal framework, weak technological awareness and business practices in meeting Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in the livestock chain, and inadequate abattoir facilities.
This body will be empowered to act on national and commercial considerations subject to the directions of the Minister in discharging its functions.
According to the release, this latest semi-autonomous agency within the ministry joins other entities such as the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI), Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board and the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), among others.
The GLDA was established to promote greater efficiency in the livestock and livestock product industry, and to provide enhanced services in livestock husbandry, livestock health and research. It will also provide for the effective administration and regulation of trade, commerce and export of livestock and livestock products.
Permaul was trained at the Lillian Dewar College of Education as a Science Teacher, schooled in Agricultural Sciences at the Guyana School of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Guyana, and Imperial College, University of London.
He served as a lecturer within the Faculty of Agriculture for over a decade before accepting an appointment as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, eleven years ago.