— Manari Bypass set to increase commercial activities in Lethem

MINISTERS of government, residents and regional officials of Lethem are optimistic that the recently completed Manari Bypass that was commissioned on Saturday will positively impact businesses in the township and neighbouring villages, and will have a ripple effect on the economy of the Rupununi.

Regional Chairman of Region Nine Bryan Allicock said the Bypass creates easier access to Lethem from other villages such as Nappi, Hiowa and Parishara, since residents no longer have to go all the way around, thereby cutting travel time by half- an-hour, Allicock said that transportation cost will also decrease and therefore farmers and other entrepreneurs will spend less to reach their markets and this will be reflected in a drop in prices.

There are many farmers in those communities who presently have issues marketing their products which include ground provision and cash crops. There are also persons who rear cattle and pigs as well as fishermen.

“It is easier to get out there to get their things purchased and to do purchasing. It would be a reasonable cost taking things from Lethem, rather than importing from Brazil,” Allicock related.

Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sidney Allicock said his ministry and by extension the government, has been pushing for residents to develop their communities with cottage industries. For these industries to flourish there needs to be proper connection between markets.

“If we don’t have good roads, if we don’t have proper connection, then we will never be able to meet the market,” he said. This newly-constructed Bypass will allow for the cottage industries in the surrounding villages to grow, thus empowering the entrepreneurs and the village economies at large.

Allicock also said Guyana was recently named the number one eco-tourism destination in the world. For the tourism industry in Region Nine to bloom, there needs to be better access roads to transport tourists. In addition, the Bypass, he said, will create better opportunities for miners. Mining is one of the main economic activities in Region Nine.
Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin said while the Bypass is a small section of the bigger thoroughfare, it will form part of the paved Linden to Lethem Highway, that works have commenced on.

BIGGER PICTURE
While residents may be looking at the immediate gratification they will receive from this Bypass, Gaskin said they must look at the bigger picture.

“It has to be seen as part of the bigger picture, it is a long-term picture, every step in the right direction,” he said. The Linden to Lethem Road will not only open opportunities for Lethem, but for the entire country. It will also be a boost to tourism in Region Nine, which has been classified as one of the most beautiful regions in Guyana.

A Lethem businessman, who is also an executive member of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce, alluded to the future benefits the bypass will bring when it is paved.

“We will spend less time up there than down here, and that would be less money on transportation, definitely,” the businessman said. He explained that because of the terrain, some types of goods have to be transported by air and because of the heavy air fare, the prices are often jacked up. **This will significantly decrease when the road is paved. While this Bypass will assist businesses in Lethem, he said for him, he is more appreciative, that it will save lives.

Sharing similar sentiments was one resident Iva Dundas, who said she believes that persons travelling into Lethem to conduct business may have been hesitant to do so, after the scary experience of driving across the very narrow and unsafe pathway that took many lives. Now that it is safer, it would encourage more persons to travel to Lethem by trail, to conduct business. The Manari Bypass project was completed by JR Ranch to the tune of $80M. It was constructed two meters above flood level.