In a statement, Hinds, who has ministerial responsibility for mines and minerals said that success brings with it new challenges. In a likely reference to the Low Carbon Development Strategy, Hinds said that success oftentimes creates novel situations “where effects and outcomes which before could have been ignored, now have to be fully faced, contained, reduced and mitigated”.
He said the world’s interest in sustaining the remaining forests as a bulwark against climate change “has heightened awareness of the negative environmental, as well as social impacts of small-and medium-scale mining, as has been practiced to this time”.
The PM said that miners have been sensitized to these areas and added that new, improved, lower-impact, higher-recovery methods are being demonstrated and sought along with restoration practices. Noting that improved methods are always more costly, Hinds said that these were nevertheless necessary “if we are not to become obsolete and be left behind”.
He said as the minister responsible for mining he looked forward to rapid adjustments and he also called on miners to declare all the gold produced and to refrain from illegal exports to neighbouring and distant countries.
“I call, too, on all gold jewellers to purchase gold only from the mandated authority, (the Guyana Gold Board), as there exists a glaring disparity between the buoyancy of the gold jewellery business and the official figure of less than 500 ozs/year purchased by all gold jewellers!”
