President Donald Ramotar on Thursday commissioned a new fishing complex and a volley ball court at De Edward village, West Coast Berbice.
The president also handed over titles to residents of two areas which were once squatter settlements in Blairmont and De Edward villages, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. Ramotar stated that the fishing complex will lift the quality of work and life of the fishermen and committed to aid them in their trade.
“We will find the money to build the shed here, so that you can have better facilities to carry on your work. This is our way of showing our appreciation to fishermen, and the essential work that they do in providing for us,” he was quoted as saying by GINA. He added that even as the country’s economy continues to grow, there would be more trickle down benefits for all citizens.
“It is the management of the economy that has us as a middle income developing country, and with that, we can expect standards to rise, (as) when we were living in poverty, it was reflective in the squatting, now that we have gone up the ladder, the demand for quality is more,” he said according to GINA.
The report said that Ramotar acknowledged that the demands for a better quality of life should be more, while he added that his administration over the years has been meeting some of these demands with new and improved infrastructure. “We see the improvement in the attitude of people as they are calling for more quality and what we are having here today is recognising that we are moving to this quality of life that we want for our people to carry out their work, and carry out their living,” he said.
In terms of plans for the fishing industry, the president said it is his hope that as the economy continues to grow, the fishing industry can move into processing fish for export, which in turn would add value to product, generate more revenue and provide jobs, GINA reported.
Also delivering remarks at the event was Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, who praised the distribution of the land titles. Stating the significance of the fishing industry, the minister said while it continues to face many challenges, the government is putting systems in place to aid the industry. The minister said thus far the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have been working well, GINA reported.
Ramsammy urged fisher folk to comply with the stipulated regulations when plying their trade. The minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the development of youths in the area, while he noted that the volleyball court is a clear indication of its commitment.
He added that the government would continue to assist De Edward Village and other surrounding villages with their youth and sport initiatives, GINA said.
