Essequibo businesses focused on employing locals, building community 

By Michel Outridge

AT Charity on the Pomeroon River, businessman Edward Barakat has a large-scale timber enterprise where he employs 40 locals.

He is the man behind Barakat Timbers Ltd, the sawmiller, exporter of greenheart, purpleheart, mora, cabacalli, piles, shingles, decking and flooring, exotic hardwoods, raised panel doors and kitchen cabinet doors.

Barakat has concessions at Buck Hall, Essequibo River, some 30 miles away and he has a trail where trucks can be driven and transport logs to his sawmill, which is at the edge of the Pomeroon River.

He has on many occasions granted permission to tourists to walk the trail and enjoy the scenery and also to bird-watch.

From his sawmill he has another trail which was newly paved and which reaches up to the Akawini Creek.

Barakat is also doing his bit to promote tourism and more so, agricultural tourism. He is also into furniture making and is readily available to provide his tour services, free of charge.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that mostly older folks still retain their businesses and farms, since the second and third generations are not into farming; that’s why many estates and plantations went down.

Barakat added too, that most young people leave the area for higher education and most often don’t return; and there are just a few folk who still have their farms and estates up and running, which provides employment for many.

He, however, voiced his disappointment over health care, safety and transportation, that he said are some of the major issues in Essequibo and Charity.

Barakat added too that some people cannot return to Guyana to visit because it is so expensive to get here; as such, people go to other countries for their vacations.

Large-scale coconut plantation

Meanwhile, on the tour of the Pomeroon Trading coconut plantation at Grant Enterprise, Lower Pomeroon River, Gary Grant the manager was on hand to facilitate the guided tour and he with to the Pepperpot Magazine.

He stated that the Stoll Enterprise was leased to Pomeroon Trading for 50 years and it is run by shareholders, with the principal residing overseas.

Grant added that the plantation is very large and provides employment for 50 persons, who are from Wakapoa and Moruca.

He pointed out that most of them have left for their homes, while some are still on the farm and they are working.

Grant told the Pepperpot Magazine that they have three-year coconuts which they bottle for the overseas market; the dry nuts are used for making coconut oil and other products.

On the plantation, they also have crops of turmeric, ginger, merengue (sijan), bananas and passion fruit.

Grant reported that they source only coconut plants from selected farmers, since they are looking for quality products that are housed in the nursery until they are transferred to the plantation (field).

“We have 8,000 plants ready to be placed in the fields right now and it is 110 coconuts plants per acre of land and we have 3,000 sijan plants, 500 passion fruit plants and a lot of bananas,” he said.

One of the main challenges is controlling the spread of the red mite disease which, Grant said, cannot be cured and it usually takes over the coconuts plants; they have to get it treated with chemicals by digging a hole in the tree and pump the chemical in.

Grant added that another problem is the overtopping of the sea defence during the spring tides. Recently, the water level rose above normal and they have to constantly drain excess water off the land or they would lose crops.