Gold declarations for the first part of this year have dropped compared to the corresponding period last year and government is pursuing measures to halt this decline including a crackdown on illegal gold trading entities country wide. “It must be emphasized that the closure of the (Guyana Gold Board) sub-office in Bartica should not be seen as the main reason for the lower levels of declarations that has been reported for Guyana for the comparative of the 2013 and 2014,” the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) said in a statement. In April, the GGB shuttered its Bartica sub-office and called in the police to probe allegations of tampering during the purchase of gold.
The Board urged the gold mining community to utilize the services of all licensed dealers to ensure that they can receive payments for their sales as effectively as possible.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment said that during a meeting on Wednesday, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) and licensed gold dealers were encouraged to support the Government’s effort to increase the gold declaration. Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud
