Three-Door fisherfolk to get new wharf – Agri Minister
Three days after President Dr Irfaan Ali met with the fisherfolk of the Three-Door Fishermen’s Co-operative Society at D’Edward Village, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha returned to the area on Saturday as the bearer of good news.
He told the fishermen that plans were already afoot to construct a new wharf as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth, was currently working on the design and physical work was expected to commence within one month.
The facility that is being used presently by the fisherfolk
“The President also instructed that some infrastructural work will be done and I have committed that the work will be done. We will resurface this tarmac, we will do a new shed for them and we will also do a wharf because the Three-Door sluice is coming off of operation,” Mustapha explained.
On Wednesday last, the President met with fishermen and committed to exploring the possibility of building a wharf so that they could ply their trade.
President of the Co-op Society, Nurish Jairam had asked the Head of State for the Government’s assistance in constructing a wharf while pointing out that because of the frequent dredging of the Berbice River, silt has piled up, blocking access to the current landing facility.
Jairam explained that the problem has been compounded by the Three-Door sluice going out of commission. A four-door sluice was recently constructed to improve drainage capacity but because of its location, it cannot flush the channel that the boats use to get to the landing facility.
The fisherfolk have requested a wharf that is at least 250 feet out in the water to allow for easier access.
The fishing boats at the Three-Door Fishermen’s Co-operative Society
Meanwhile, during the meeting on Saturday, Mustapha was told that some members of the co-op have outstanding fees including the new Head who owes $88,000 and has not paid anything in the past 54 weeks. Outstanding dues are more than $500,000.
“Here you have a lot of disunity among members. I urged that they need to come together and they agreed with me. What I have noticed is that this new management is enjoying the confidence of most of the members. I am hoping that we can get these matters resolved as soon as possible. The Chief Fisheries Officer will be coming back to meet with the co-op to listen to other issues that they are encountering at sea and we will put measures in place to assist them,” Mustapha told the gathering.
He noted that the co-op has enjoyed the cooperation of the Agriculture Ministry over the years and pointed out that when the industry was experiencing difficulty, seeds were given to fisherfolk to plant and supplement their income.
“This co-op has seen massive development from us at the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Government. Over the years, we have done a lot of work and what we are planning is new work that will cost millions of dollars, but we will continue to make that kind of investment, because the fishing industry is a major source of protein for the Guyanese people and so we are supporting it.”
There are some 15,000 persons in the fishing industry countrywide.
