Goods to be accurately weighed
Minister of State Joseph Harmon
Minister of State Joseph Harmon

SOON, the purchase of goods will be accurately weighed on verified metric devices, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said on Friday.
At his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon said the metrification plan approved by Cabinet, was prepared by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to promote the use of internal systems of units countrywide.

The metric system was first proposed in 1970 and is the decimal-measuring system based on the metre, litre, and gram as units of length, capacity, and weight or mass.
The GNBS, along with the Ministry of Business, have been urging relevant stakeholders to use the metric system, which is the legal system of measurement in Guyana.
The system is said to conform to the Standard International (SI) units including the kilogram (kg), which is used to measure mass. It is also simple to learn and easy to use because of its decimal nature.

With the implementation of this action plan, it is hoped that wholesalers and retailers package and sell their solid goods in metric quantities.
In February, both the Ministry of Business and the GNBS had urged stakeholders to use the metric system which is the legal system of measurement here.
GNBS Public Relations Officer Lloyd David had said the system is easy to learn and use because of its decimal nature.

A large percentage of the countries in the world use the metric system, especially in scientific research, manufacturing and trade.
And according to David, only a few countries still use the imperial system of measurement or a combination of both measuring systems; Guyana uses both.
David said too that the GNBS has recognised that the adoption of the metric system should start from the top, which includes policy-makers, ministries of government and government agencies.

He noted that the school system has already fully adopted the use of the metric system and the younger generation has a good understanding of its application.
The metric base unit for measuring mass is the kilogram (kg). When the kg is divided by 1000, the result is 1 gram (g) and when it is multiplied by 1000 the result is 1 metric tonne.
Mass (weight): For everyday transactions, especially in the conduct of commerce, there are four commonly used units; the milligram (mg), g, kg and tonne.
Mg is used for measuring very small amounts of substances for example, ingredients in medicines or drugs and some ingredients in recipes.

The g is used for measuring intermediate amounts. For example, 100g of butter, 250g of cheese.
The kg is used for measuring larger amounts, for example, 1 kg of potatoes, 10 kg of bananas, and 25 kg of rice
One kg is equivalent to two pounds, three ounces.
The tonne is used for measuring very large amounts, for example, truckloads of sand or stone, bulk sugar or rice.

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