17
news
wednesday, july 8, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com
$1B Farfan and Mendes Headquarters Nabbed Nandy Park opens in Providence suspect implicated in Agricola execution A s it continues to expand with the aim of reaching a wider range of customers, the Farfan and Mendes Group of Companies officially opened its Corporate Headquarters and Showroom in Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) at a simple ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The net cost, inclusive of the building and land, amounted to $1 billion; with the cost for the construction of the building being $850 million while the development of the land was an estimated $150 million. With this bigger and better location, the Farfan and Mendes Group of Company will be offering a wide range of products and services including portable sawmill; woodworking tools and equipment, wire ropes, rigging accessories, industrial hoses, among others, all in one convenient location. Some of the quality brands the company boasts include Stihl, Viking, Motan, Biro, Delta, Wood-Mizer, CRC, among others at affordable prices. With this new location, there is more space to facilitate customer parking – a feature which the original Georgetown branch did not posses. At its headquarters, the parking lot can facilitate up
Managing Director Andrew Mendes, his mother June Mendes and his daughter Savannah Mendes gather around for a simple ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the Farfan and Mendes Group of Company brand new headquarters in Providence, EBD
to 60 customers. Also, there is enough space within the compound for trucks to upload and unload their cargo when necessary. The Farfan and Mendes Group of Company was formed in 1967 when Derek Mendes, a Sales Representative of FT Farfan and Sons Limited in Trinidad, partnered with the Trinidadian Company. In 1972, the company moved from the rented premises in Harel Street to the Urquhart Street, Cummingsburg location, which is currently the company’s Georgetown branch. As it continued to expand its line of products and services, the company opened its subsidiary Mines Services
Limited in 1992 in Providence. Thereafter, a third outlet was commissioned on High Street, Georgetown, to meet the growing demand for its alternative energy department. In 1967, Farfan and Mendes Limited helped to introduce and pioneer the use of chain saws in Guyana, through demonstrations and a training programme sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). From that time onward, the name Farfan and Mendes has become synonymous with the timber industry in Guyana. In the 1990’s, Farfan and Mendes evolved into a reliable supplier of industrial equipment, including machinery for
the timber industry, the wood working industry and the agricultural industry, as well as chemical fogging equipment, power tools, tyres for most types of vehicles, pulling and lifting systems, among others. With the establishment of Mines Services Limited, the company was able to offer industrial tyre repair and truck wheel alignment, and to manufacture wire rope slings and hydraulic and industrial hose to the specifications of the individual customer. Today, Farfan and Mendes is involved in a joint venture with Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development (IIC) in the Iwokrama Logging and Sawmill Project which aims to develop more sustainable practices in the timber industry. Techniques for improving logging and processing efficiencies and the production of value-added products are the main focus of the project. IIC will employ a 60-year cutting cycle, harvesting a maximum of 1800 ha per year (which is less than 0.5 per cent of the Iwokrama Forest) under a very selective harvesting regime which will result in only a few trees per hectare being removed and not creating any large gaps in the forest canopy.
Suriname signs historic agreements with CDB
T
he Ministry of Trade and Industry of Suriname on Friday last signed two historic agreements with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for projects to improve Suriname’s implementation of both the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The two projects will assist in transforming Suriname into a more competitive economy, increasing its export earnings, and making the country more attractive for investment. The projects, to be implemented by the Ministry and the Suriname Business Forum, are being funded through two grant facilities – The CSME Standby Facility and the EPA between the European Union and CARIFORUM Standby Facility. “With the support of the Caribbean Development Bank, CARIFORUM and the EU, we will be able to accomplish some important goals with these projects,” said Minister of Trade and Industry, Don Soejit Tosendjojo. “These grants through the Trade Facilities will allow us to bridge the gap between world trends in trade facilitation and our current system, as well as prepare ourselves to deal with the increasing challenges of operating in competitive world markets. This project is an indication of the synergy between important development partners, namely the European Union, CARIFORUM, and the Caribbean Development Bank. It also symbolises a new relationship between Suriname and the Caribbean Development Bank, one that will enable us to harvest many benefits in the future. I express my sincere appreciation to all institutions and individuals involved who have contributed to these projects
CSME Standby Facility for this project is 217,727 euros. The two projects form part of the relationship between CARIFORUM (the grouping of CSME member states plus the Dominican Republic) and the EU. The two facilities are managed by the CDB.
Edward Greene, Division Chief of the Technical Cooperation Division of the CDB, signs the agreement with Minister of Trade and Industry, Don Soejit Tosendjojo
and congratulate the business community of Suriname which will be the direct beneficiary of the important work being done here.” The Ministry will implement a grant from the EPA Standby Facility which will help determine the requirements for establishing an Electronic Single Window (ESW). The ESW will allow importers and exporters to submit all of the documentation needed to obtain licences to trade online. Currently, applications for trade licences must be submitted in hard copy and manually processed. Depending on the volume of applications received and the extent to which forms have been filled correctly and accompanied by the required certificates, it can take up to a month to obtain a licence. The establishment of the ESW will allow all applications and processing to be done electronically thereby significantly reducing processing time to as little as 48 hours. The EU contribution through the EPA Standby Facility for this project is 178,111 euros. “These two projects, when fully implemented, will in a tangible way demonstrate how the Region’s trading re-
gime can be used to create sustainable economic opportunities for our people,” said Edward Greene, Division Chief, Technical Cooperation Division of the CDB. “The projects also represent a practical example of CDB’s commitment to our partnership with Suriname, and we look forward to supporting the Government and Private Sector in Suriname in the successful execution of these projects.” “Developing the ExportReadiness of Suriname’s Agrifood Enterprises for the Caricom Market” is a project being implemented by the Suriname Business Forum (SBF) and funded by the CSME Standby Facility to improve relationships between Suriname-based agrifood exporters and importers and distributors in two targeted Caricom markets – Barbados and Trinidad. Once completed, the project will improve the delivery of export development support services by the Ministry to the SBF. The SBF will identify businesses in the agricultural sector to receive capacity-building support to increase their ability to export to CSME member states. The EU contribution through the
T
he 27-year-old man arrested for the murder of Travis Rudder who was gunned down at his Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD) home, has been implicated in the execution of an Agricola resident back in April. Orpheus Johnson, of Lot 13 First Street, Craig, EBD, was arrested on Sunday evening as he was about to board a Route 42 minibus at Stabroek, Georgetown. He was spotted by a plainclothes Police, who confronted him. During the confrontation, the Police rank informed him that he was wanted for the murder of Rudder and the attempted murder of Rudder’s 18-monthold son and the child’s mother. As such, the Police Officer called for backup and a search was conducted on Johnson’s person which uncovered an unlicensed 9mm Beretta Pistol with 18 matching rounds. It is believed that the same calibre of bullets was used to kill 26-year-old Rudder while he was asleep with his family. Rudder was shot several times to his body while his 31-yearold girlfriend, Mawanza Gill, received seven gun shots s and his infant son Travic Rudder was shot five times to his body. As Police continued their investigations, it was brought to their attention that Johnson was implicated in the April 22 killing of 32-yearold Gladstone George, of Lot 40 Brutus Street, Agricola, Greater Georgetown. Guyana Times was made to understand that an identification parade was held on Tuesday during which Johnson was positively identified by an eye-
Murder suspect: Orpheus Johnson
witness as the person who shot George dead while he was in a minibus on the Agricola Public Road. When contacted, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that the man was positively identified for a second execution. According to initial information, the 32-year-old father of one had stopped a minibus which was heading to Georgetown. He entered and proceeded to the back seat where he sat; however, before the vehicle pulled off, a lone gunman on a bicycle rode up and began shooting indiscriminately at George. The shooter was unmasked. Johnson was also wanted for a number of armed robberies. Johnson was tried for the 2009 murder of Brendon Charles, but was freed in October 2013 in the High Court by Justice James BovellDrakes after a no-case submission was upheld in his favour. Johnson’s Attorney, Latchmie Rahamat had made a no-case submission that there was an insufficiency of evidence provided by the Prosecution after State Counsel Natasha Backer closed her case.