President announces support for micro-enterprise ventures

President David Granger has announced that the Government will support viable micro-enterprise projects at the village level even as it must maintain macro-economic stability.

The President made this announcement in his address at the National Day of Villages observance, held at the Lady Sendall Park, Victoria Village, East Coast Demerara, as he urged the various villages across the country to return to the days of self-sufficiency, especially in the agricultural sector.

The Head of State said Guyanese were children of villages and should use this day not only to reflect on the developments of the past, but to chart a new course by ensuring that the great potential for agro enterprises and self-sufficiency were again at the centre of the nation’s development.

The President said that the Government would not shirk its duties, but would ensure that the necessary systems were in place to support and sustain micro-enterprise development.

“Development cannot take place in the absence of both growth and macro-economic stability. Human development must be promoted particularly for the poor and other vulnerable segments of society,” he said.

Greater Victoria, he said, developed a thriving agro-processing economy. It produced coconuts, from which it manufactured oil, used its by-products to make pig and poultry feed and coir, or coconut fibre, the natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut, to make mattresses. It also produced cassava, which was processed into cassava bread and cassareep and fruit for beverages, table consumption and preserves. This must once again become the norm for the village, the President said.

The freed slaves and indentured labourers who established villages were pioneers, he said. Even though they were considered illiterate and poor, they developed systems, which not only worked for them, but also paved the way for successful village economies.

The President said that as Guyanese celebrate National Day of Villages, the celebration recognised a movement, which began 177 years ago with the purchase of a single plantation – Northbrook, now known as Victoria Village. The Day, he said, is a reaffirmation of the Government’s confidence in the centrality of villages to the future of the nation, which should enjoin every Guyanese with the responsibility to revitalise all of the villages for posterity.

Further, the Head of State noted that National Day of Villages was about the future. “It recognises our common heritage. It acknowledges the value of the precious gift, which has been passed on from generation to generation for 177 years. It admits that we are merely trustees of this rich legacy, which we must bequeath to the next generation. Guyana is fortunate to have had fore-parents who had the percipience to provide for their progeny by purchasing plantations as places to live, work and worship. I pray that we preserve our patrimony for posterity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan remarked that it was a proud day for the villages across the country, particularly Victoria as it celebrated the sacrifices and offered reflection on the work, which had been done by the ancestors on the land.

Attendees were treated to various cultural performances, the ‘ringing of the bells’ and the unveiling of the two stamps designed in honour of the occasion, which would be available at any of the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) branches at the cost of $1000.