Dear Editor,
Can someone explain to me what the Minister of Agriculture means when he said that there will be no “big” export of logs from the million-acre concession occupied by the furniture manufacturing company from India (SN April 13, 2011)?
Does “big” mean 1,000 logs or is it 10, 000? In the future when we discover that the company has exported a large quantity of logs the Minister will then say that he was not deceiving the people.
Any smart government would have ensured that the company opens a manufacturing plant in Guyana. This will provide jobs and more income for the country as the finished furniture will attract more taxes.
These companies exploit our country’s natural resources, which can be considered non-renewable (as it takes ages for the forest to grow back). Then there is the disastrous impact on the ecosystem to consider.
It should also be noted that another overseas company “Guyana Goldfields Inc” is selling off Guyana’s assets for a profit. What will the Guyana economy gain from this sale? The concession was granted for mining not for selling off. The thing is, these resources do not belong to these companies who are profiting from it. They belong to the people of Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Raymond Persaud
