…Min Harmon says feedback so far has been positive

GUYANA has received positive feedback from the Indian Government regarding reforming the sugar industry here and the issue will be further discussed during a visit to that country led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge.

Vice-President Greenidge is leading a delegation which includes Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman to India for a meeting of the Guyana-India Joint Commission and for Inter-Ministerial Consultations scheduled for January 29 to February 3.

Speaking at 69th Republic Anniversary of India last Friday President David Granger said Guyana welcomes India’s offer to assist in reforming the sugar industry and to enhance trade, investment and collaboration in the fields of agriculture, education, mining and renewable energy, among others.

Indian’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Ventakachalam Mahalingam also said that aside from offering its help to the Government of Guyana on reforming the sugar industry, it has also supported infrastructural, environmental, educational and cultural projects, with the aim of strengthening its ties with the Government. These areas, he said, are not only based solely on what the Indian Government decides but on the priorities defined by policy makers in Guyana.

Industry officials said that India today is a pacesetter in technology in the agriculture sector and in agro-industries and they could be helpful not only in agro-processing here but also in aquaculture in which workers affected by restructuring could find productive employment.

Meanwhile, Sunday Minister of State , Joseph Harmon told reporters at the conclusion of a forum in Alexander Village that the team’s agenda while in India will focus on reviewing several arrangements and agreements signed between Guyana and the Indian government , including those relative to the procurement of ferries, assistance to the energy sector, as well as the sugar industry. As regards the latter, Minister Harmon noted that Guyana has received a positive feedback from the Indian Government regarding the sugar industry here.

He noted that the discussions during the trip by the Foreign Affairs Minister entailed the government’s plans for the divestment and restructuring of the sugar industry. “These are discussions, we have gotten a positive feedback from the Indian Government”, he said, noting that anyone who provides such forms of assistance is welcomed by the government.

The Minister of State noted that Guyana has always had excellent relations with the Government of India, adding that such forms of assistance, some of which have been in the forms of loans and grants, have been significant. “We continue to engage with the Indian Government,” he said noting that it is a relationship which both parties are building on. Earlier this month, Former President Donald Ramotar stated in another section of the media that the APNU+AFC administration has accepted loans from India that he initiated except those pertaining to the rehabilitation of the country’s sugar industry.

On Sunday, Minister Harmon refuted such claims. He noted that he is unaware of any loans that the current government has defaulted on. He said that there is a loan relating to the specialty hospital project which the government has asked India to review; the latter has recommended the construction of three primary health care facilities. In a statement last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit by the delegation to Indian will provide an opportunity for the two States to further enhance relations through an exchange of political dialogue, as well as for the fostering of economic and cultural cooperation. The Joint Commission facilitates talks between the two countries on all aspects of bilateral relations while the Inter-Ministerial Consultations allow for dialogue in areas of common interest at both the regional and global levels.