THE Region10 community of Rockstone, primarily known for logging and fishing and for hosting the annual Rockstone Fish Festival, is on a mission to strengthen its economy.
It has been over seven years since Toolsie Persaud Limited ended operations in large-scale logging at Anarika, which is a satellite village to Rockstone. Scores of residents of both communities were employed and the village economy was booming.

Toshao of Rockstone, Flagon Carter, noted that closure of the company has affected the communities adversely, as the communities’ economies were fully dependent on the company. Residents started migrating in droves to seek employment elsewhere. “Many people went into the bush, the school at Anarika closed down; money was not generating; shop-owners were crying out,” Carter listed as some of the effects of the closure of the company

THE NEED TO DIVERSIFY
Rather than sit and wait on handouts, residents of Rockstone have become ingenious and enterprising and while their cups may not be overflowing, as with the presence of a multi-million dollar company, it is surely not empty. The mighty Essequibo River borders Rockstone and in it is found a plethora of black water fishes. Hymara, Lukananis, Arawannas, Lou Lous and Hassar, among others. Residents have been in to fishing for decades, but realising that more profits can be garnered from processing these fish, have caused them to think of creative ways to earn from their very own gold in the water.

One resident, Rajkoomar Balgobin, has been a fisherman for some time. He has dug his very own fish pond in his backyard and has begun to fish farm on a small scale with hassars. He is seeking funding from the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) to expand this aquaculture initiative, so that he can expand the pond and farm larger fishes such as hymaras. These he will process in various means and provide to markets in Linden and other places.

With the serenity and panorama of Rockstone, the community is a major fishing and tourism hot spot. One young man, Ray Peters, realised that this tourism potential should be exploited. He has ingeniously transformed himself into a self-trained tour guide and has been providing tour packages to the many visitors flocking the community on weekends, to earn for himself and family. Peters purchased a boat with the help of financing from his fiancée, who was a participant in the Hinterland Empowerment Youth Service (HEYS). The duo rents the community’s boat engine and provides transportation and tour-guide services to sports fishers and tourists. “I realised I can make money like this, they would hire me to take them to sand beach, river fishing, bird watching such as the Harpy Eagle; they would go out to see the waterdogs and all of these things,” he said. Some daily packages cost between $30,000 — $40,000 per day.

Having no regrets, Peters is now looking for funding to expand his business, so that he can purchase his own engine and even more boats; he is also eyeing the possibility of employing other youths within the community. “I would like to purchase some hammocks, tents and even make some cabins for them to sleep, because right now they stay at the village guest house and not everyone wants to stay indoors when they are in a community like this,” he reasoned. Peters sold his community as a very beautiful place, filled with picturesque scenes and solitude — perfect for a weekend getaway, with lots of outdoor activities to enjoy. He too has consulted the Linden Enterprise Network for a loan to expand his tourism businesses. He will also commence training through the Department of Tourism, which will enable him to become an official tour guide.

Like Peters and Balgobin, many residents have commenced their own forms of enterprise to ensure that the economy of Rockstone stays alive. Standing as the most prominent two, are farming and fishing. Many of the former workers of the company have formed themselves into logging associations. There are two in the community and logging is still a common means of earning for many. Residents have also gone into apiculture .

COMMUNAL EFFORTS
While many families and individuals have commenced their own entrepreneurial courses, the community at large has embarked on a communal agro-processing initiative; this is enabling farmers, women processors, transportation providers, packagers, amongst others, to earn. The Rockstone Cassava Processing Project is funded by the Amerindian Development Fund and has made strides since its commencement. Carter noted that up to 12 women are in rotation at the processing plant. There, they process the cassava into sauce, cassava bread, farine and casareep amongst other things. The products are marketed in the community and in Linden. “Right now our major markets are the RDC, and Chanzars in Linden, we must thank the REO, Orrin Gordon, for really supporting this project,” Carter posited.

Last week, the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), held an outreach in Rockstone, where they urged entrepreneurs and even potential ones to come on board to benefit from their financing and training resources to expand their businesses