Govt considers conservation of relinquished Barama lands
government is considering the possibility of putting some of the 1.6 million hectares of relinquished Barama lands under conservation.
A Cabinet sub-committee was looking at a number of options for the use of the forest lands relinquished by Barama Company as it scales back its operations
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon had informed a post-Cabinet briefing that a Cabinet sub-committee was looking at a number of options for the use of the forest lands relinquished by Barama Company based on submissions made by Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman.
During a subsequent briefing, Trotman said deliberations were still ongoing and disclosed that one of the options was for some of the lands to be conserved.
More specifically, he said, the Cabinet sub-committee is examining the concept of dividing the land into quadrants, each for a different purpose.
“The state is examining the future… Whether we can cut them into four quadrants… putting aside some for conservation, some aside for small loggers and some aside for international concessionaires,” he explained.
The Minister explained that while Government has also received expressions of interest from foreign and local companies, the Administration intended to strike a balance that was consistent with President David Granger’s green economy pathway.
Trotman had also proposed to the Cabinet sub-committee that Government give some of the lands to the now jobless persons who were retrenched by Barama.
The Cabinet sub-committee tasked with reviewing these options comprises the Natural Resources Minister, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, Indigenous Peoples Affairs’ Minister Sydney Allicock and Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence.
Barama is currently in the process of retrenching and some 500 workers stand to be affected.
In October, the Company announced that it would not be seeking a renewal of its 25-year-old forest concession agreement with Government, and would be scaling back its operations.
Reports indicate that the Company was still deciding whether it was profitable to continue its sawmilling, veneering and plywood manufacturing here.
According to reports, Government’s slothfulness in reviewing the renewal of the contract was the main reason behind Barama’s decision.
Quoted sources explained that during the period of prolonged negotiations, the global economic situation took a drastic turn for the worse. The sources said that had Government presented a contract earlier, the Company would have most likely continued its full operations.
Last year, the Natural Resources Ministry undertook to review the renewal of the contract with Barama at its behest; however, the Company was presented with a draft agreement until in the third quarter of 2016.
A task force was established to examine the Company’s request for a continuation of its contract, given the “rapacious activities” of some foreign companies operating in the forests of Guyana.
When the draft agreement was finally presented to Barama for feedback, the Company had already decided to pull the plug on its full-scale operations. The sources quoted in the media also indicated that the draft contract was “rough” and did not encourage the Company to stay in the market as is.
Barama has invested in excess of US$43 billion in its local operations since its establishment in 1991 and was one of the country’s largest employers.
