GOVERNMENT has set aside some 281 square miles of lands for syndicates, despite recent protests by this loosely organised grouping of small miners.

Speaking at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Annual Awards Celebration, Mining Week 2017 on Sunday at the Tower Suites, Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, told the gathering that the administration is unveiling carefully and methodically, the Syndicates initiative that is being spearheaded by Minister Simona Broomes. He explained that through this initiative, hundreds of Guyanese men and women who were either denied access to lands or came under the harsh conditions of a “landlord” can now band together in a cooperative way and access lands and the synergies and economies that evolve from working together.

Trotman said so far 15 syndicates will be given in the first instance, 12,000 acres of land each to have a combined area of green Guyana land of 180,000 acres of land. “To put this into context, we are speaking of 281 square miles. Barbados, a place we are all familiar with, is just 170 square miles. So again, with some momentary surprise, I wonder at the agitation of the syndicates for more land when they have not yet begun to mine any lands. I am assured that GGMC is working assiduously to ensure that by the end of the month the lands will be available for distribution and I am awaiting the opportunity to sign the “special order” to this effect.”

Protests
Members of the various syndicates had staged a protest recently in Georgetown, clamouring for more lands. However, Trotman said struggle is good as it is out of the dialectics of struggle that positive change comes, but struggle must be purposeful and well directed. He said struggle for the sake of struggle is without a lasting foundation. “Once we are satisfied that the syndicates have been good stewards then we are prepared to entertain applications for additional lands,” the minister asserted.

Trotman also acknowledged that there is agitation and restlessness in the sector with some bemoaning the state of mining and government’s response to their concerns. Also he said government has embarked on a quest to make Guyana a green land in both the figurative and literal senses. “To this end, the Government appreciates that there are some changes that are taking place in the mining industry – some changes we recognise as being organic by nature and some others will have to be influenced if the industry is to remain vibrant, well into the 21st century.”

The minister said there was a time, for many centuries in fact, when sugar production dominated the political economy of Guyana. It defined us as a nation, and then, in the 1970’s and beyond, as we took hold of our newly found republican status, and forged a path of self-reliance, bauxite mining and production took centre stage. “Later came gold and gold remains Guyana’s primary foreign exchange earner and is singularly responsible for the direct and indirect employment of tens of thousands of Guyanese; though agriculture and bauxite remain viable industries in their own right.”

Trotman told the miners that the coming petroleum production will undoubtedly change the face of Guyana, and the mining industry as we know it, will be impacted. However, he said gold is too important to the culture, psyche and economy of Guyana to be displaced and as the saying goes, it is “too big to fail”.

“Many of the fears and concerns that I hear expressed about government’s lack of appreciation for the industry are therefore unfounded. This government, as I have said on countless occasions in the past, has no desire to see the industry fail. However, we all have agreed in private meetings, and in public outings elsewhere, that there has to be change and adjustments on all sides. The status quo cannot remain. For Government’s part, we are, as of necessity, having to streamline the collection of taxes and curtail what was obviously an abuse of the tax concessions that were given.”

Similarly, he said the administration is introducing reforms at the Guyana Gold Board and at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission. One such reform is the charging of a processing fee of $2,500 for every ounce of gold processed at the Gold Board only. “I was surprised, and momentarily taken aback, to see statements deriding this fee when it was agreed between the Ministry, the GGB and the GGDMA. I suppose this is the way business is done in some places.”

Trotman said the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission must be congratulated for its sterling and steadfast course in these challenging economic waters. “This is the achievement at a period in our country’s history when the known main drivers of economic activities are all recording sub-optimal performance. Rice and sugar, our main agricultural bases are struggling to keep their heads above water, and the other stream of the Natural Resource sector, Forestry, is now regaining its strength. In contrast, the Mining Industry is the driving force for economic prosperity.”

The minister said the Commission, as the regulator of these sectors, has over the last few years shown that it is able to hold a steady course and at the same time improve its performance through improved declarations in minerals. “Gold declarations have shown a steady increase within the last two years, and following on last year’s record breaking declaration, at the end of July this year, declaration was 368,000 ozs, with small and medium scale gold mining accounting for 244,000. It is more than likely that we will reach and surpass our declaration target for this year, this is in spite of the poor weather conditions and the problems in the backdam with rogue elements ambushing mining camps and raiding lands lawfully held by others,” Trotman stated.