(Barbados Nation) Barbadians are already lining up to take advantage of the recent offer to purchase land in Guyana.

“There have been several inquiries at the local Guyana Consulate, and at the relevant office in Guyana,” Honorary Consul Norman Faria told the Daily Nation on Monday.

According to Faria, the land will not be given away “willy nilly” however, and only people who produced a meaningful business plan for use of the land they intend to purchase would be taken seriously. “Those who try to get land and let it lie fallow, or for other unproductive or undesirable purposes will not be tolerated,” Faria added.

The offer of land is available to both Barbadians and Guyanese resident in Barbados. Interested persons may get more information from the local consulate or the Guyana Office for Investment in Georgetown.

Faria, who was part of a Guyana delegation when Barbadian business people recently attended seminars and visited sites in the South American country, said all transactions would be protected under Guyana’s laws.

“The land is very good land, and potentially productive for a variety of purposes,” said Faria.

The honorary consul said that in some cases there might be minimal infrastructure, such as electricity lines in the immediate area at this early stage, but that was why the land was being offered at such a low rate.

According to Faria, the Guyana government would assist in installing such infrastructure as each individual case merited.

He noted it was advisable that potential investors visit Guyana to get a first-hand look, since transactions for the land would be done over the Internet.

Aside from vegetable and other such farming, there were also the options of livestock rearing and fish farming, among other ventures.

“Something good will come out of this, benefiting both Guyana, Barbados and indeed the rest of the region, as is already happening in some areas of working together,” Faria concluded.