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Affirmative P
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM Affirmative action proposed to ensure all benefit from Local Content Policy
…disadvantaged, underserved communities will be targeted
A panel of experts set up by President Irfaan Ali submitted recommendations for the LCP back in November
Affirmative action which will see the State reaching out to disadvantaged and traditionally underserved communities to ensure they too benefit from the Local Content Policy is one of the strategies contained in the draft policy that was released this month.
The policy is currently being subjected to consultations, which opened at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) on Monday. According to the draft policy document, it is important that the policy be implemented in a way that ensures everyone can benefit.
“To achieve its goal, the Government of Guyana will ensure that Guyanese are given preferred access to opportunities for employment and to provide goods and services, particularly where the capability exists and from traditionally underserved or disadvantaged groups or communities,” the policy states.
According to the policy, the Government will also seek to “identify and aggressively pursue strategic opportunities for local capacity development and participation that give Guyanese the maximum possible benefit now and in the future by developing the competencies of Guyanese where the demand supports the required investment in capacity building.”
Additionally, the policy states that the Government will ensure that Guyanese get an opportunity to gain experience in areas where they are not yet at the optimal level of competence. The policy will also set out to extend Guyanese participation in national development and global competitiveness.
The policy points to the importance of ensuring that Guyanese improve their capabilities through practical means like partnerships. According to the policy, this is so that Guyanese can become internationally competitive and grow their foothold in the sector.
It was also pointed out that the policy must ensure that procurement, partnership and other activities facilitate participation from Guyanese and that the process is not rigged to deny Guyanese opportunities or frustrate the policy goals.
According to the document, the policy must also be enforced by appropriate legislation that allows for clarity, transparency, accountability, and consistency in the application of the policy. Targets must also be set, as well as schedules for the progression of implementing the Local Content Policy in specific goods and Tropical Orchards Products Company Limited (TOPCO), a subsidiary of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), on Monday announced the launch of its new range of TOPCO one-litre juices and juice drinks, in four flavours, on the local market.
The DDL group invested $4 billion in a new Tetra Pak packaging plant, as well as a fruit processing plant in 2020.
In spite of COVID-19 and its many limitations, the DDL Group said it remained committed to responding both to consumer demand and to a commitment made to farmers that TOPCO would provide a growing market for their produce.
The TOPCO expansion is a part of a larger fiveyear $10 billion expansion project, announced by DDL Executive Chairman Komal Samaroo in 2017. In describing the project, Samaroo said that “Despite oil and gas, the agriculture sector must be developed. He noted that the value-added processing of the nation’s fruits and vegetables into pulp and juices, and eventually milk supplied by local dairy farmers, for local consumption and export is a huge step in that direction.”
Prior to the expansion, TOPCO was purchasing 1 million pounds of cherry, passion fruit, carambola and guava from farmers per year. With the expansion, the volume is expected to increase to 4 million pounds per year. The range of fruits is also being expanded to include mangoes, pineapple, and citrus.
Set to reap tremendous benefits are our local farmers. Samaroo noted that “Farmers will benefit from this project through a guarantee that their supply of fruits to TOPCO is secure, with stability of prices in spite of market demand/supply conditions. There is also the potential to increase their cultivation of fruits to increase supply to TOPCO”.
He added that “Another benefit to farmers will be the ability to collaborate with a network of technical and financial agriculture support agencies, as part of the holistic market-driven approach to developing partnerships with local fruits and dairy farmers.”
The new one-litre TOPCO juices provide a practical and nutritious ready-to-drink product for which there is an increased demand both locally and in the region. TOPCO’s progression into the one-litre category makes it a healthy juice choice for the entire family, as these juices are also rich in vitamin C to boost your immune system.
The new one litre juices and juice drinks are available in four fruity delicious flavours – pineapple, orange, unsweetened orange and cherry, and are now available at leading supermarkets countrywide.
Teen seriously injured after crashing ATV
A19-year-old man of Arakaka, North West District (NWD), Region One (BarimaWaini), was medevaced to Georgetown following an accident on Sunday.
Based on information received, the teenager, who is a shopkeeper, was riding an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) belonging to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) at the time of the accident.
Police stated that at about 09:00h on Sunday, the teenager was proceeding along the Arakaka access road on the ATV at a fast rate of speed when he lost control. As a result, the vehicle toppled several times, thus causing the teen to sustain injuries about his body.
He was picked up by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Pakera District Hospital where he was treated for head injuries.
As a result of the extent of his injuries, he was medevaced to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
An investigation has been launched. services.
“Using the opportunities to participate in country, made possible by the world scale and profitable resources recently brought under production, Guyanese oil and gas professionals and services companies will grow in competence along the value chain and develop an internationally competitive export industry,” the draft policy states.
“More importantly, those competencies will be built in a manner that allows us to enhance existing sectors of the economy and add new ones so as to support national sustainable development with seamless adjustments in the economy in spite of the inevitability of swings in fortune of the oil and gas markets and depletion of our bounty.”
It is understood that the consultations which started on Monday will remain open for the next month. Persons will be able to submit their views, either at the forum or online, where they will be seen by policymakers.
Several Government Ministers and officials, along with Private Sector representatives, were at Monday’s consultation, including President Dr Irfaan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Mark Phillips. The idea of consultation of the LCP is in keeping with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP/C) manifesto before entering Government.
In August of last year, President Ali had assembled a team to advise Government on the formulation of a strong Local Content Policy that would ensure all citizens benefit from the country’s lucrative oil and gas sector, as well as other sectors that see Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Among the experts on the panel were Trinidadian Local Content expert Anthony Paul. Paul has played a critical role in the formulation of local content policies in Ghana, and has been vocal about local content issues in Guyana.
Also on the panel was former Foreign Affairs Minister under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, Carl Greenidge. Greenidge, an economist by profession, also served as Finance Minister from 1983 to 1992. Apart from Paul and Greenidge, the panel included former Trinidad Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine. Ramnarine served as the Minister of Energy of Trinidad and Tobago (2011 to 2015). During his tenure, he created a positive climate for investment, including the fiscal reforms which resulted in major investments in deep-water exploration.
The panel also included Finance Professor Floyd Haynes and trade unionist Carvil Duncan, while it was chaired by Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Head, former presidential advisor Shyam Nokta. This panel got to work in August and by November, submitted its recommendations to the Government on a Local Content Policy. (G3)
The draft policy document
TOPCO launches range of 1-litre juices
