Guyana is already reaping tremendous commercial benefit from the presence of the Takutu Bridge a year after it was officially commissioned and it is set for take off and expansion, Trade and Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad has said.
The bridge, which links Guyana to Brazil, was commissioned on September 14 last year by President Bharrat Jagdeo and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. And according to Minister Prashad the progress made in the year since the official opening “has laid the foundation for [Guyana’s] take off and expansion.”
According to Prashad, there has been increased trade in the community and a genuine interest by entrepreneurs to invest in Lethem. The government, he said, has invested in two commercial zones in Lethem. The first has 61 plots; 46 have already been leased. The second has 40 plots and 42 applications have already been submitted, the minister said. He said persons are interested in building hotels, warehouses, banks and other business enterprises. He said too that the Brazilian private sector is interested in investing in Guyana and he pointed to a visit made by several businessmen earlier this year. The minister said a reciprocal trip is planned for members of the local private sector very shortly. According to him, the bridge has already facilitated increased export of flour and coconuts from Guyana into Brazil.
Prashad said too that about 100 vehicles cross over from Brazil on a normal weekday while on weekends and holidays this number grows to approximately 300. According to him, these were healthy indications of what was happening since the commissioning of the bridge. However, he pointed out that it was not all smooth sailing and that the administration was still trying to iron out some hiccups.
Meanwhile Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has informed that there has been an increase in the volume of goods traded between the two countries. She pointed out that the Guyana government also took a decision for all but five items – ammunition, tobacco products, petroleum products, alcohol and vehicles – imported into the country from Brazil to be duty free.
She said too that progress has been made in terms of the bilateral agreements signed at the opening of the bridge. Last year Rodrigues-Birkett signed a Memorandum of Understanding with her counterparts from Brazil, touching on issues related to defence cooperation, promotion of trade and investment, control of the Carambola fruit fly, geological mapping on both sides of the border, the establishment of a frontiers committee, the establishment of special regimes in the region and cultural cooperation. She reported that many of these matters are in the process of being implemented.
She said a consulate is being established in Boa Vista, and that the government recently received the approval of the Brazilian government for the appointment of Leila King. The necessary arrangements are being put in place to make the consulate functional before the end of the year.
The frontiers Committee has already been created and the local representatives have had one meeting with their Brazilian counterparts. This meeting was held in Brazil last November, where several initiatives were proposed for the development of the border regions of Guyana and Brazil, in the areas of education, health, agriculture and public security. A second meeting is scheduled to be held during the last quarter of this year.
Additionally, the cooperation in defence related matters is being implemented. She said that the agreement between the two governments on the partial abolition of visa requirements is being implemented.
The agreement between the two governments to establish a special border and transport regime for the locations of Bon Fim and Lethem requires ratification by the Brazilian Congress and discussions are ongoing with Brazilian authorities.
She also said that discussions are ongoing regarding the possibility of sourcing power from Brazil to supply Lethem with electricity. Since the commissioning of the bridge, the power company in Lethem has moved to increase the daily power supply from 18-hours to 24 hours. While residents say there have been some improvements, there is still dissatisfaction about the quality of the community’s electricity supply.
Regional Chairman of Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) Clarindo Lucas said a lot more Brazilians were coming over to do business and pointed out that many of them migrated to the coast of Guyana. He they preferred to do business in Lethem because of the access to cheaper goods.
He said that fuel is an item that Brazilians are particularly interested in purchasing in Lethem because of its relatively cheap price.
Regarding crime, Lucas said that that there has not been an increase in crime, but suggested that a heightened media presence in the community would lead to more publicizing of criminal acts. He said that ever since the opening of the bridge, there has been much more interest in covering developments in the community.
He said too that cultural interaction has grown stronger. He said that while traditionally the two countries have had a close relationship, the past year has seen them going “beyond the routine”. According to him, there are now special events organized to foster more cultural interactions.
