President Donald Ramotar has said builders and contractors should seek alternative materials as a means of buffering the rising costs of traditional building materials.
“The building industry has to be supported by other infrastructural works,” he said, in his address at the launch of the Third International Building Expo, at the Princess Hotel.
Ramotar, according to the Government Information Agency (GINA), said the country continues to experience a housing boom and demand for traditional products such as lumber, cement, roof sheeting and steel has increased along with the cost of these commodities.
The president also said he was surprised at the number of overseas-based Guyanese who have expressed an interest in purchasing land here, and those who have already done so. “I was in the United States recently and many persons told me that they are coming home to purchase land… more than 1,000 lots were made available to the overseas Diaspora but the Ministry received more than 2,000 applications… [and] this indicates the turning tide,” he said.
Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali and Chairman of the Private Sector Commission Ramesh Dookhoo, in their respective addresses at the launch, echoed the president’s view on finding alternative materials.
Ali said the environment must also be favourable to growth. “We must ensure that the environment is right for the continuous growth and development of the construction sector… we must ensure that we educate the populace on new alternative building material that can be produced locally,” he explained.
According to GINA, Dookhoo bemoaned the fact the construction industry had significantly reduced its operations in recent years due to the availability of building materials on the local market and he said that by finding local alternative materials they can compete with growing industries such as gold and mining, for example.
GINA said the expo, to be held at the National Stadium from July 6 to July 8, is a partnership exhibition hosted by the Housing Ministry’s Central Planning Authority and the private sector. This year’s exhibition is being held under the theme ‘Embracing Standards-Building the Future.”
