VERY soon, Essequibians will be able to visit the Pomeroon wharf in the village of Charity and grab a parcel of fish of their choice, take it home, fry and eat. No longer will there be the hassle of scaling, cleaning, filleting and marinating for a little while before being able to fry.
Popular Charity businessman Kumar Lallashan, who goes by the alias “Big Bird,” owner of a fishery, gas station, restaurant and food court/bar, will be launching a new fish service in August.
The service will be the first such on the Essequibo Coast.
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday, Lallashan explained that Essequibians can now access a service that will be very convenient to them.
“We are trying to do marketing on a local system, we will be filleting, seasoning it and everything so you just have to carry it home to cook,” he said. Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder is expected to be at the launch of this new service.
According to the businessman, feedback from consumers prompted him to embark on this initiative.
“We have the market here, a lot of people using a lot of fish in Essequibo now and people take things to the interior also and it will be a benefit to every single person in the Essequibo Coast,” he said.
All kinds of fish will be available, including other seafood such as prawns.
Lallashan is also contemplating adding meat birds, lamb and duck among others to the list, but will be guided by the demand.
The construction of the outlet where the fish will be sold has already been completed and the processing plant will be completed shortly.
The business will create employment for a number of persons and will boost the young tourism industry in the Charity and Pomeroon areas.
Despite being an entrepreneur since 1997, Lallashan expressed some fear in whether the business will be successful, pointing out that he had to close down his supermarket after experiencing some difficulties with the taxation system.
“It was because of the tax system and I see that the Government stepping into this matter and I’m really happy they are doing that, but people are crying out about that, because the previous administration didn’t do nothing towards that and that was our problem and that is why I had to close down the supermarket.”
His fishery, however, continues to be successful and he is also expanding same in terms of having available more fishing equipment and utensils.
The businessman said his main challenge is operating on a wharf that is in a state of disrepair. At times, he said, he had to use his personal savings to effect repairs to the wharf to keep his business in operation.
He said complaints have been lodged at the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, but it seems to fall on deaf ears.
“Nobody is fixing it; I have to fix it myself. No body isn’t paying a cent to do nothing on that wharf,” he said, as he blamed negligent fishermen for some of the damage.
“That thing has to be addressed by our Government, so I’m working towards that right now.”
Despite these challenges, the businessman who considers himself a patriot, is confident that he will continue to provide the needed services in his home county, since it is there he was born, grew and became successful.
“I truly love Essequibo, I am a true Essequibian and I born here and will die right here,” he proudly said.