On Saturday, Agriculture Minister Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha commissioned the Upper Corentyne Fisherman Cooperative Society Administrative Building at Number 79 Village on the Corentyne Coast.
The building was constructed and outfitted at a cost of $32 million and will serve as a hub for various activities as well as a space where fisherfolk can access important services and resources.
While offering remarks Minister Mustapha said that requests were made for rehabilitation work to be done on the old structure but Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo committed to constructing a new building.
“During a meeting with the Vice President, some fishermen asked for assistance with repairing a dilapidated building. At that point, the Vice President committed to building a new building. Today, we are here to commission this building. That tells a story. When this government makes a commitment we always deliver. While there may be issues in the industry, if you examine the expenditure now, it has increased tremendously. We are now rehabilitating and modernizing all of the landing sites and wharves across the country. We know that this profession requires a lot of commitment and dedication. People leave their homes and families to face the elements to provide us with the most affordable form of protein. They are risking their lives so we will continue to support this industry,” the minister noted.
Meanwhile, Senior Fisheries Officer, Mickale Amsterdam said the commissioning comes at a critical time for Guyana’s fisheries sector and is a direct reflection of the government’s commitment to not only improving the livelihoods of fisherfolk but also forms part of a broader national agenda to ensure that coastal fishing communities like Number 79 Village thrive in this rapidly evolving and competitive sector.
Minister Mustapha also said that the government remains committed to engaging officials in Suriname to secure fishing licenses for fisherfolk on the Corentyne Coast.
“An issue that continues to plague this part of the country is licenses for fisherfolk plying their trade. We’ve had discussions at the highest level and commitments were made for 150 licenses to be issued to Guyanese. There were emails and correspondences between myself and the Minister responsible for Agriculture in Suriname to determine how we would distribute these licenses. But after four years, we are still waiting. They’ve reneged on those agreements. We are still actively pursuing these matters and have maintained that our fisherfolk must enjoy those facilities so that they can fish freely,” Minister Mustapha said.
Minister Mustapha also said that additional work will be done at the facility in the coming weeks.
“I’ve committed to the fisherfolk to upgrade the tarmac, a gas station will be built so that fisherfolk can purchase their gas here. We’ll also establish a hardware store so that fisherfolk can purchase inputs. So that at the end of it, you’ll have a brand new office with a functioning office and hardware store to serve the fisherfolk of this part of the region,” he explained.
Approximately 200 fisherfolk from along the Corentyne Coast are expected to benefit from the new facility.
