…aimed at boosting agriculture production

IN an effort to boost agriculture production in Region 10, Government has expressed interest in having all dormant Cooperative Societies, which have in their possessions hundreds of acres of land, resuscitated, so that these lands can be fully utilised.

Speaking on the matter was Regional Chairman, Renis Morian, at a recent press conference, who quoted verbatim from a correspondence from Government, the need to have these Coop Societies resuscitated and to officially grant leases for lands in which applications were made decades ago.

Some of these Coops include the Amelia’s Ward Farmers Coop Society; Canvas City Half Mile Development Agricultural Society; Superior Cooperative Society, and the Rock Stone Community Development Council, which has in its possession 8960 acres of land. It has been noted that the Wisroc Coop Society still has monies in the bank and played an integral role in the development of the Wisroc Housing Scheme.

Members of these Coops are being asked to take the necessary steps in having the Societies resuscitated, since not doing so may result in the lands being taken away. “Government is willing on this, these Coop Societies need to show an interest that they are still interest and they need to move,” Morian urged. He also made pleas to the farmers in Linden to make good use of the lands that are available to them for agricultural production.

Only two weeks back, an agricultural based Coop Society was formed under the name: ‘A Sustainable Livelihood Vegetable Production and Marketing Cooperative Society Limited.’ The aim is to promote the economic interests of its members in the field of agriculture by arranging for the sale of members’ crops and produce, once they are organically or hydroponically grown, using, in the latter’s case, approved hydroponic fertilizers.

The society was installed by one of Guyana’s longest serving Cooperative Officers, Mr. Aubrey Crawford, in accordance with the Cooperative Societies Act, Chapter 88:01.

The aforementioned Coops, if resuscitated have as a perfect example, Linden’s longest acting Coop: the Linden Utility Cooperative Society Ltd (LUSCSL), which has been standing strong since 1960. This Coop, which has a membership of over 5000, is still responsible for the provision of electricity on the Wismar shore.