Govt reiterates commitment to grow non-oil economy

…as small miners given land in lottery

Making it clear that Guyana will learn from the mistakes of countries who failed to diversify their economies and suffered from the ‘resource curse’ after finding oil, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat has said that Government remains committed to growing the mining sector.
Bharrat was at the time speaking during a Mining Lottery in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), arranged by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Natural Resources Ministry to allocate land to small miners.
According to Bharrat, mining benefits over 100,000 Guyanese, whether directly or indirectly. This includes those who are employed in the sector and their families, as well as the mechanics and those in the trucking and other service industries which support the sector.

Bharrat has noted the importance of mining to Guyana in the context of Guyana’s population.
“We, as a Government, are committed to ensuring that we grow the non-oil sector. Many countries in the world, especially those around us, like Trinidad and Venezuela, they made that mistake. When they start producing oil, they forget about agriculture and other sectors. We will learn from their mistakes. That is why we’re committed to growing the mining sector,” he said.
Bharrat spoke of the resilience of those involved in the sector, and noted that amid the global conversation surrounding protecting the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change, some attention has been turned towards gold mining.
“I know, over time, the way we do mining, our practices will have to change and adapt to new technology, methods and regulations. But the good thing about us, and more so as Guyanese, is that we’re resilient people and we can adapt to changes. And we know how to get things done, regardless of circumstances,” he said in his address to the miners.
“I say that in the vein that we’ve been hearing a lot about climate change of recent. And the big question among people is whether we will stop mining in Guyana, because of climate change and global warming and amount of attention the protection of the environment is raising now.”
Referring to the recent floods in Guyana that saw communities throughout the country being flooded and the situation being categorised as a national disaster, Minister Bharrat noted that climate change is becoming more palpable. The Minister noted that the advocacy for protection of the environment can only grow under these conditions.
“Mining will be under some amount of pressure. However, I want to say to you that, as a Government, we are committed to building the mining sector. We are committed, and we will always say this: that we will continue to build the non-oil sector, and mining is a big part of the non-oil sector,” Bharrat said.
“Because, after oil and gas, the next sector that brings in the most revenue in our country is mining. Oil and gas cannot provide the amount of employment, whether directly or indirectly, as mining is doing or will do in the future. Oil and gas is not labour-intensive,” Bharrat said.
Meanwhile, several of the miners who benefited from the lottery spoke on camera. Oswald Junior, who lives in Mahdia, lauded the initiative, and spoke of the importance of upgrading hinterland roads.
“It’s a good initiative, a good programme set by the Ministry of Natural Resources for small miners. And something very important I would like to emphasise, another point of support for the miners is maintaining and upgrading the hinterland roads to the mining district,” Junior said.
Leandra Samuel, another Mahdia resident, expressed happiness with the chance to be part of the activity and be awarded a lot. While Samuel is not directly involved in the mining sector, her husband is, and she noted it was a great opportunity for her husband to be an independent miner. (G3)