Welcome to guyanachronicle.com

Farmers must diversify despite good times for rice industry
By Tajeram Mohabir
AGRICULTURE Minister, Robert Persaud, yesterday said that even though the good times currently being enjoyed by the rice sector are likely to remain in the near future, farmers should pursue other forms of agriculture.

He made the appeal during his feature address to scores of farmers from Regions 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam); 3 (Essequibo Island /West Demerara); 4 (Demerara Mahaica); 5 (Mahaica Berbice); and 6 (East Berbice/ Corentyne) at an experimental plot in Number 53 village, Corentyne.

The occasion attended by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) General Manager, Mr. Jajnarine Singh, Rice Producers Association (RPA) General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj, Region 6 Regional Chairman Zulfikar Mustapha marked the conclusion of a series of farmers exchange programme.

The programme which includes several demonstration exercises brought together farmers from the various rice growing regions to share their experiences on strategies to improve the quality and output of the commodity.

Persaud underscored that the move is essential because the boom will not remain forever and the opportunities for diversification are now abound. The Agriculture Ministry last week launched the “Grow More Campaign” which is component of this drive.

He explained that the intention is not to move away from rice cultivation but to merely pursue other worthwhile ventures available in the rice sector.

The minister declared that the rice industry will always remain vital to the agriculture sector and government and over the years has demonstrated its commitment in this regard by zero rating VAT on vital inputs in the sector such as tractor spares, fertilisers and diesel.

These interventions the minister noted were to cushion the effects of the escalating prices on the global market.

In addition, he said government this year will construct a $ 150 M state of the art seed plant in Region 6 which will buttress the GRDB seed production capacity. This Persaud under scored will further demonstrate government’s commitment to improve the image of the sector.

Rice Price
Persaud noted that since 2004 rice prices increased by some 100 per cent and assured that while there is adequate supply for local consumption and exports government cannot interfere with the price for the staple.

He also stressed that these conditions are caused by the rise in price of fertilisers, fuel and other vital inputs for the sector on the international market.

However, he assured the farmers that government is monitoring the issue but noted that rumors of the industry experiencing a turbulent time should be dispensed forthwith.

Mustapha who also addressed the farmers emphasised that the region is experiencing a surge in production this crop as some 3000 more acres of rice are under cultivation.

The Regional Chairman said the region in the coming years intends to be the country’s largest rice producer. He noted that harvesting has already started in Number 66 Village to Blue Field in the Corentyne.

Mustapha said in the past rice cultivation in the region used to be cultivated on a sizable scale but began to decline due to drainage and irrigation problems.

He stressed that cultivation is returning to the respectability of the past as farmers in the East Canje/ New Forest areas have restarted cultivation. New D&I structures have been built in those communities to encourage and enhance planting the Regional Chairman added.

An additional 500 acres will be cultivated in the region, he disclosed and in Molsen Creek cultivation has increased from 9,000 to 20,000 acres.

Mustapha urged farmers to make the best of the current weather conditions and stressed that $18 M will be spent to clean Canals 52 to 74. An excavator has been placed there while a new pump has been stationed at Number 66 Village to assist in the process, he pointed out.

According to the Regional Chairman more money will be spent this year to build and rehabilitate D&I structure in the region including the revival of defunct sluices.

Meanwhile, Seeraj contended that the Region this crop has not performed as expected due to late cultivation caused by the rains. The heavy rainfall has damaged the access dams to rice field but no major losses were reported.

He underscored that once the rice price is “right” farmers will in the MMA and other areas will pay their D&I charges.

Seeraj recalled that during 1996 to 1998 when farmers were paid handsomely for their produce 68 per cent of those in the MMA paid their dues.

But he warned farmers that the Burma Rice Station could only produce some 30,000 tonnes of paddy and urged farmers to use theirs wisely. More of these he assured will be available in next crop.

The RPA General Secretary also said that the RPA is in negotiation with a local fertiliser company to ensure the product is available to farmers at a reasonable price.

He declared the field day exercise a success and pledged his continued support in working with the farmers there as well as in the other rice growing regions better their performance.

Jiffi Lubes proprietor reportedly missing
PROPRIETOR of Jiffi Lubes, Farouk Kalamadeen, has been reported missing since yesterday morning after leaving home to transact business in the city and has not returned or has been seen since.

According to information reaching this newspaper, the prominent businessman is allegedly involved in money laundering in the United States (US) where he is wanted.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited his residence last evening, Kalamadeen’s son declined to comment while the police have indicated that they were not aware of the incident until press time. However, this newspaper was reliably informed that the man’s relatives are waiting until the stipulated 72 hours is over before they proceed to file any missing report to the police.

Survivor of Land of Canaan tragic fire still shocked
By Michel Outridge
WITH the tragic Land of Canaan fire still fresh in his mind, Suresh Moreno, is still in a deep state of shock and regret.

The 24-year-old can still hear the loud and agonising screams for help from his elderly grandmother and his nephew and niece, all of whom met a very fiery and painful death as a result of an early morning fire Tuesday.

Moreno is a patient in the Burns Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) nursing severe burns about the body.

After he was blown off his feet in the inferno with his nephew and niece in his arms after failing to locate his grandmother he had no choice but to leap from the burning building alone.

“When I fell to the hot floor I lost both of the children and I had to make a decision to save myself and now I regret it,” Moreno said.

He is unable to forget the tragedy that took away the most important person in his life, his grandmother, 64, whom he lived with for most of his life.

“My grandmother was my life, she meant everything to me and I can’t imagine she is gone and I could not save her and the children,” he said.

The children who usually sleep with her in the same bedroom, Melvina Singh, 9 and Shemar McPherson, 5, both perished in the fire which reportedly started from the bottom flat of the wooden building where their mother, Jean Moreno, 34, resided.

The children’s mother, Jean Moreno, who was at work at the time of the fire still, cannot believe that her children perished in the blaze.

The woman was inconsolable yesterday and could not speak.

At GPHC yesterday, Suresh Moreno was too weak to speak and could not stop crying as he experienced severe pains about the body and was vomiting and urinating blood.

He said he tried to exit the building through the front door but the door came crashing down on him and when he looked down there was no steps attached to the house.

He said he felt intense heat and got up from his bed in the upper flat of the building and realised the place was on fire and went in search of his grandmother and niece and nephew.

“I called out their names after I heard their screams for help and after I found them and held them in my arms there was no way I could have saved them after I was knocked to the floor by a fallen door,” he cried yesterday.

His twin sisters, Sharon and Sharda Persaud, 22, of Lot 6 Old Road Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, too were still trying to come to grips with the sudden and tragic death of their loved ones.

Their concern however, was the condition of their brother, Suresh Moreno, who is blaming himself for the fate of their grandmother and their niece and nephew.

The young ladies told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday that they got up to use the washroom and saw the conflagration at Lot 46 Old Road Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara and alerted their neighbours.

The twins added that it was the determination of residents who got out of their beds at about 1:30 am Tuesday to form a bucket brigade that saved the house next door because the fire tender was out of water.

“The hardest thing for us was to stand around helplessly and hear the horrible screams for help from our loved ones and not being able to save them,” they said.

The young women said they also handed over charred body parts to the police when the smoke settled and the funeral for the trio is scheduled for Friday.

Arrivals not affected by massacres
ARRIVALS at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport have not shown a drop over last year, despite two massacres which left 23 persons dead, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad, said yesterday.

Mr. Prashad said 47, 583 arrivals were recorded for the first three months, just 100 short of the number recorded for the same period last year.

The Minister said the arrivals number for this year is significant given not only the massacres at Lusignan and Bartica, but also taking into account that Guyana was hosting Super eight matches of Cricket World Cup last year.

For the month of March specifically, 18, 626 persons arrived in Guyana at Timehri, a shortfall of just 23 over the same month last year, when the Cricket World Cup matches began.

Minister Prashad noted that while the numbers for last year and this year are almost identical, he had hoped for a 10 per cent increase in arrivals for the first quarter.

NAMILCO launches new baby, adult cereals
THE National Milling Company of Guyana (Namilco) in collaboration with Geddes Grant (Guyana) Ltd., the distributor yesterday launched the Maid Marian Cream of Wheat for infant and toddlers and an adult formula at Neal and Massy Sports, Lot 5 Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Managing Director of Namilco, Mr. Bert Sukhai, told the gathering that an employee quietly extracted portions of cream of wheat from the milling process and began feeding his daughter, Matilda as complementary food from age six months.

“Whenever I see Matilda, she was always vibrant, contended and smiling and she looked a cut above what I would consider a normal baby and eventually her father let me in on the secret and I told him if it was good for Matilda, then it is good for all babies,” he said.

Mr. Sukhai explained that the next nine months was spent researching and developing Maid Marian Cream of Wheat of wheat fortified with essential minerals and vitamins.

According to Marketing Manager, Mr. Damon Pestano, the product, Cream of Wheat is a complementary food for babies who are six months and older.

He said it is milled to a finer texture and provides all the essential vitamins and minerals for proper growth and development but conceded that breast milk is best for babies.

Mr. Pestano pointed out that Cream of Wheat has a six-month shelf life and is very nutritious and is retailed for just $400 per box and lasts for about a week.

Meanwhile, Cream of Wheat for adults is a wholesome cereal that the whole family will enjoy, he added.

“A bowl of hot/cold tasty, cream of wheat provides essential vitamins and minerals including iron for your good health. It also has a high percentage of dietary fibre,” he explained.

It can be served with toppings such as sprinkles, toasted wheat germ, fruits, chocolate or strawberry syrup.

Present also was Namilco Marketing and Distribution Manager, Mr. Navin Thakur, Ministry of Health Representative, Dr. Janice Woolford, who endorsed the product yesterday and Ainlim’s Chief Executive Office, Mr. Doodnauth Persaud. (Michel Outridge)

Police investigating $11.9M robbery at LBI
LUSIGNAN businessman Asif Shaffie was attacked on Monday and relieved of $11.9M by four bandits on La Bonne Intention Public Road, also on East Coast Demerara.

Police said it happened about 11:30 h when the victim and a male friend were proceeding to Georgetown in Shaffie’s motor car.

At LBI, a white motor car, with four occupants and bearing number plates later discovered to be false, drove up alongside and caused Shaffie to stop.

Two of the men from the other vehicle, one with a firearm, disembarked, held Shaffie and his companion at gunpoint and took away a bag containing the money with which they escaped.

Police said investigations into the robbery are ongoing.

Man dies after being beaten by woman
A MAN died at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) Tuesday night, allegedly after being beaten, by a woman, with a steel rod.

The deceased, whose name was given only as Sebastian, of Zeeburg, West Coast Demerara, had been transferred from West Demerara Regional Hospital about 22:30 h, the same night, in a critical condition.

He succumbed while receiving treatment in the Accident and Emergency Unit and his suspected killer was taken into custody.

Woman hospitalised with burns
THIRTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD Ayana Yaw, of Beterverwagting/Triumph, East Coast Demerara, is in a serious condition at the Burns Care Unit of Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

She suffered second and third degree burns after being doused with a corrosive substance during an altercation.

Yaw was burnt from the face downwards of her body.

New building for Venezuelan Cultural Institute
THE Venezuelan Institute for Culture and Cooperation in Guyana is now functioning in an entirely new and different environment, the Institute announced yesterday.

Described as “a perfect setting with air-conditioned rooms for gatherings, classrooms and offices,” the Institute facilitates 300 students who are learning Spanish as a second language.

Ambassador Dario Morandy indicated that this is a reflection of the efforts that has been made to strengthen the permanent relations and cooperation between Guyana and Venezuela.

He said new programmes will be designed which includes courses of advanced training in a variety of areas, cinema club, exhibitions of craftsmen, painters and sculptors and the social organisation to set in motion various Social Missions as an introduction for the installation of the "House of ALBA” (Bolivarian Alternative for America)

The new IVCC building in Guyana represents a demonstration of our policy for the Latin American and Caribbean Integration,” the Institute stated.

Police to charge UG student in fake kidnapping
POLICE said the University of Guyana (UG) student and her cohorts will be charged shortly, after she faked her own kidnapping on Monday.

A press release said, while investigating the reported kidnap of the 19-year-old, Police discovered that the incident was faked by the alleged victim, in collusion with a male friend, to fleece her overseas based mother of money.

The release said, about 19:30h Monday, the uncle of the student informed Cove and John Police, on East Coast Demerara, that he received information from his sister that her daughter had contacted her and said she was kidnapped on the Railway Embankment while on her way to UG.

She had said her kidnappers were two men in a white car who were holding her captive in a house and demanding $300,000 ransom for her life.

The release said a search was immediately launched and, during the investigations, the male friend of the student and his mother and sister were taken into Police custody.

The student was subsequently held, about 23:30 h on Tuesday night, when she went to Brickdam Police Station and reported that she had been abducted and raped by two men.

Three new magistrates sworn in
THREE new magistrates were yesterday sworn in before Prime Minister Samuel Hinds at his Oranapai Towers Office, in Kingston, Georgetown.

Those taking the oath were Mr. Nigel Ovid Hawke, Mr. Haymant Ramdhani and Ms. Faith McGusty.

Mr. Hinds exhorted the trio to execute their duties as they vowed and acknowledged that it may often lead to a degree of isolation.

However, they should be conscious of their role in society and the need to participate and contribute to nation building.

Acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh, congratulated the latest entrants to the magistracy and emphasised that it is incumbent on the Government to make adequate financial provision that caters for the welfare, well-being and comfortable working environment for them and judges.

He said the Government is, indeed, committed to do so as it undertook at the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nigeria and there has been fair budgetary allocation.

Mr. Singh said it is understood that some of financial constraints are affecting the system but more considered efforts have to be made by the Government to cater for such needs.

He said the appointments will strengthen the magisterial resources and noted that the situation with regard to a shortage of judges in the High Court will be addressed shortly.

After swearing, 44-year-old Ramdhani, who has been in private practice for three years, said he recognised that, in the post, he is in one way or another considered a minister of justice and is equally conscious of the huge responsibilities attached to it.

&#xI have taken the oath of office which will be my guide, not only through this magisterial post, but throughout my life,” he assured.

Ramdhani agreed it would afford him greater opportunity to complete his criminal law procedure for Guyana text which he has commenced.

He pledged to do his part to bring greater honour to the judicial system, especially the magistracy and the people of Guyana.

McGusty, 32, said she had always wanted to practice law and obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from University of Guyana (UG) before moving to Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad in 2002.

After graduating from the latter, she worked in the Chambers of the Director of Pubic Prosecutions (DPP) until last year August when she went to the Legal Aid Clinic.

Hawke, 29, said he was awarded a Government scholarship to study law and, from October 2003, he served in the Attorney General’s Chambers for three years and then began working at the Legal Aid Clinic.

He observed that law is always a learning curve and undertook to uphold the high standards of the Bench and judicial system. (Priya Nauth)

Another construction project completed at St. Cuthbert’s
CONSTRUCTION of new quarters for teachers at St. Cuthbert’s Mission, in Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica), has been completed at a cost of $6.2M, a release by the Regional Administration said.

The release said regional officials inspected the job recently and confirmed that the one-storey concrete building will also accommodate the primary school headteacher, who will occupy in the new term.

Regional Executive Officer (REO), Mr. Shafdar Alli, said the structure will definitely be beneficial and he agreed the old one was in a deplorable state.

Alli said the Regional Administration remains committed to developing the region and, at the same time, improve the lives of the people within.

He said St. Cuthbert’s has been a major focus in the regional development plan.

The release added that a secondary school was constructed there, as well, costing $43M and it accommodates 350 students and boasts an information technology (IT) centre, a laboratory, library and Home Economics Department.

The release disclosed, too, that the solar system at the health centre was rehabilitated with a $900,000 expenditure.

AFC explains non-participation in stakeholders motion debate
ALLIANCE For Change (AFC) Parliamentarian, Ms. Sheila Holder, said Monday that her party and Rise Organise and Rebuild (ROAR), refrained from participating in the debate on the National Stakeholders Motion in the National Assembly, last week Thursday, because it fell short of their expectations.

She offered the explanation at a press briefing convened in Side Walk Café’, together with other AFC leader, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan.

Holder told reporters that the Prime Minister’s motion had two accompanying resolve clauses which, with all due respect to him, were below the minimum hope of the stakeholders.

The clauses read:

* the National Assembly takes note of those engagements and accepts the output as reflecting consensus on the agreed upon actions and

* the National Assembly, in accepting that the national consensus was arrived at during those meetings with the President and the stakeholders, undertakes to provide its fullest support and to assign its highest priority in implementing commitments that called for action by parliamentary bodies.

Holder said: “Our suggested amendments to the motion were, therefore, few, but, nonetheless, consistent with the spirit of the ‘Bourda Accord’ and for the benefit of all.”

The AFC Member of Parliament (MP) said her colleagues submitted their amendments as requested, with the belief that the historic outcome of the National Stakeholders Consensus would not only reflect what was initially agreed upon but to carry their hopes and expectations forward.

However, Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) MP, Ms. Gail Teixeira, had earlier contended that it would be unfair to make new additions, which were not agreed by the stakeholders, to the consensus, Holder stated.

In Linden…
One businessman laments crime after Saturday night heists
POLICE are searching for clues surrounding two heists committed on businessmen in Linden last Saturday night.

One of the victims, also a popular promoter, Carwyn Holland, reported that his family store, CRH and Sons, on Celebrity Avenue, Mackenzie, was burglarised.

Burglars gained entry by removing a window grill and carted off most of the valuable merchandise, including expensive cellular phones, brand name clothing, electrical irons and a computer.

Holland said he made the discovery Sunday morning and calculated the loss at between $2M and $3M.

The recently converted born again Christian said the incidence is increasing in the town and Lindeners should be concerned, because of the unavailability of jobs and the proliferation of drugs.

Holland said the burglary has made him 10 times richer as he is a believer but he condemned the crime.

He was not sure if the business, of which he is Managing Director would be reopened in time for Linden Town Week later this month but definitely in the very near future.

Holland lamented what has happened to him in view of his charitable gestures to fellow Lindeners.

The other Saturday night victim was Troy Wilson, who operates a beverage shop at the junction of Berbice Road and Mora Street, also in Mackenzie. He was attacked by two armed, masked men and relieved of $60,000 worth of phone cards, $35,000 cash, his passport, bank card and other belongings he had in a bag.

The 34-year-old said he was on his way home alone when he heard a sound originating from bushes close to his house and the robbers pounced on him.

Wilson said he attempted to ride his bicycle faster but was pushed off it with a gun to his head, simultaneously with a demand for his bag.

He said, initially, a scuffle ensued but, as he was tumbling with one, the other bandit lashed him on his arm as he deflected the blow from his head and faced another gun before the duo escaped. (Joe Chapman)

CORRECTION
The Ministry of Education wishes to correct an incorrect quotation in an article captioned, ‘Baksh reports…NO classes at LTI since January industrial action,’ published in the Guyana Chronicle on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

The Hon. Shaik Baksh, Minister of Education has dismissed this, saying that he never indicated that classes were suspended from January 2008 to present. However, classes were suspended from January 7 – 28, 2008. This, he indicated to Members of the National Assembly.

The Minister said the headline is misleading and needs to be corrected.

We sincerely apologise for the error.

GRRC initiates literacy drive with donation to UG
GEORGETOWN Reading and Research Centre (GRRC) yesterday initiated its year-long ‘Book Fest of 2008’ at its Lot 179 Waterloo Street, Georgetown premises.

Director Rupert Hopkinson said all books and membership fees will cost 50 per cent less until June 30.

The gesture is intended to benefit schools, which would get a further 15 per cent discount while anyone who makes purchases of $2,500 and more is eligible for 10 free books, he announced.

Mr. Hopkinson said the drive is another effort to promote literacy and community involvement in education and he remains optimistic that, with the initiative, more books will become available in the various communities.

He pointed to the need for research which an important aspect of learning at school.

The development of early literary skills, through experiences with books and stories, is critically linked to a child’s success in learning to read and, ultimately, academic success,” Hopkinson remarked.

He acknowledged that education is the responsibility of not only the Government but the collaborative involvement of everyone within the nation.

For the purpose of the drive, GRRC also donated volumes worth $250,000 to the University of Guyana (UG) Faculty of Education and Humanities yesterday.

Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at UG, Mr. Olato Sam expressed gratitude for the donation which will add to their collection.

Hopkinson extended an invitation to faculty members to access free membership for one year and offered to charge all students majoring in the field of education just half the registration fee.

Dirt bikers make history on Pakaraimas safari
By Priya Nauth
THREE ‘dirt bikers’, riding through rough terrain, for the first time last week, participated in the annual Pakaraimas Mountain Safari.

The trio covered some 500 miles from Georgetown to Orinduik on the expedition which started midnight last week Thursday and went past Macushi villages, in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), into the natural and breathtaking panorama of the Pakaraimas.

One of the riders, 38-year-old Jaime Hall, Public Relations Officer of Guyana Forestry Commission, said they like to do unusual things, which others are afraid to, where biking is concerned.

He said a lot of the motorcycles are used in Georgetown and along the coastland but they are designed for hinterland routes where many people do not take them.

Hall said the journey was a hard core adventure and tested the bikes to perform in the way for which they were designed.

He said friends and other persons cautioned that the trip is a difficult one but they were determined and took up the challenge to show that such territory can be covered successfully.

Another rider, an optician at Eye Wear Optical, 28-year-old Osmond Mack said he is definitely an adventurer at heart and declared the achievement was “a piece of cake”.

The third, Andrew Lewis, 35, said, being an outdoor person, he saw the undertaking as a great opportunity that might not present itself again in the near future and took advantage of it.

He said he would never regret it, even though, at times, he wondered why he was there.

The Assistant Manager of Gift Centre said: “It makes me happy to know I am one of the first people to ride from Georgetown to Orinduik Falls.”

The three are all friends in an adventurous team who claimed they did not have to make any special preparations for the voyage and were ready for it since February, but cancelled, due to the weather conditions then.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad, congratulated them on their success and expressed the hope that more such bikers would take part in the safari next year.

He acknowledged them as pioneers who prefer dirt bikes and lauded their effort.

This is good for tourism and a lot of tourists like this kind of adventure. These are true trail blazers,” Prashad commented.