-encourages consumption of local products

By Wendella Davidson

NEWLY-APPOINTED Minister of Business, Haimraj Rajkumar, has his eyes set on enhancing the local manufacturing sector and getting citizens to appreciate and consume local products/commodities.

The minister, speaking at a news conference at the Alliance For Change (AFC) Kitty headquarters, where Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan was also present, said that business plays an integral part in the development of any society, and that the private sector’s involvement is actually about 75 per cent of generated revenue and its spinoffs.

Minister Rajkumar, who hails from the rice-producing Essequibo region, revealed that they are among his priorities during his tenure in office, but expressed concern about an apparent trend of locals not having regard for locally made products.

“We seem to have a culture of not wanting to consume things produced in our country. We have a long legacy and I would like to encourage manufacturers and our entrepreneurs to manufacture things of high quality, so that our Guyanese consumers can feel some amount of pride in purchasing and consuming our products. I have a belief that if you produce something and you don’t want to consume it, then who else would.” he stated
With tourism also falling under his portfolio, the minister said that there are several existing policies and projects within the realm of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), that he intends to continue. Among them are ecotourism being developed in Lethem and a new concept called the Tri-Lake Experience’ currently being implemented on the Essequibo Coast.

The `Tri-Lake Experience’ involves bridging the Capoey, Mainstay and Tapakuma Lakes, all located within Amerindian communities on the Essequibo Coast, to give visitors from around the world and locals the opportunity to purchase “Tri-lake experience” packages, which would provide them with an insight into “Black-water tourism,” which entails an indigenous life element of canoeing, wild life, agro- tourism, recreation, bird watching and tasting of sumptuous indigenous delicacies on offer.

An on-going multimillion-dollar Supenaam Waterfront Development Project when completed, will transform the entire landscape and outlook of the area, and will serve as the welcoming mat for the Tri-Lake initiative.

Guyana, Minister Rajkumar added, has now become a premier destination for ecotourism and in addition to encouraging persons to visit the country to experience what is there to offer, he committed to fully support THAG and its functions.

The business sector, he added, plays a vital role in today’s society, since the private sector generates more than half of the country’s revenue, with specific agencies contributing to direct business development.

According to him, his ministry consists of five agencies, more particularly so, the Small Business Bureau and Go-Invest, agencies which he opined, contribute more direct development in business and in assisting entrepreneurs coming to Guyana and those locally based.

He acknowledged that agriculture is cheaper than manufacturing, admitting that the cost of manufacturing in Guyana is indeed quite expensive due to high electricity rates.
The minister disclosed that he will be going forward with manufacturing services and opportunities in Guyana for locals, reiterating that manufacturing costs are high, with one of the factors being the high cost of electricity. He added that he intends to engage his technical staff for advice on the way forward.

Responding to a query about local content and whether he feels Guyanese workers are playing a role in the oil-and-gas sector, the minister of business said that basically ExxonMobil would spend directly to benefit our country… “There are several things that our citizens can benefit from local content, in fact, we are now trying to have existing companies or persons who wish to do business, step up their quality of products, so that when a foreign company comes onto the scene, they would be in a position to merge; that they have their certification and other things in order.

Reiterating that there is no difficulty in forming a partnership, he reminded that oil and gas is a specific industry with specific types of machinery and equipment, where the niche of producing those services and equipment is small; so when the producers of those things come to our country, the hope is that our personnel here would be ready.

He said at the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, emphasis is being placed on encouraging persons to up their quality and to go for certification. The staff there have begun a process of educatiion about the benefits and too, are encouraging an investment in their capital assets, so that they can be compliant and ready to start business.

On the issue of locals not being able to afford to tour their own country and visit attractions such as the Kaieteur Falls, the minister said he believes our citizens are capable of enjoying a holiday in Guyana, regardless of whether it is at Kaieteur Falls, the Corentyne or the Essequibo Coast. Our standard of living for citizens has risen to a threshold that our people can enjoy holidays in this country. He added that he intends, through the ministry, to raise that awareness so that instead of going to another country, they could enjoy a week of vacation in their own country, at a fraction of the cost of going abroad.

On the problem of lIttering, Minister Rajkumar reminded his audience that it is an offence; he added that he is in agreement with the statement by the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, when he expressed his concern about huge amounts of garbage left behind by revellers on Easter Monday.

He opined that there should be more use of the media to assist in educating citizens, in the hope that in time they will understand the importance of not littering and to keep our country as pristine as possible, so that people would enjoy visiting Guyana.