Government is responsible for the late delivery of several components of the drainage pumps from India by Surendra Engineering under a US$4 million contract inked two years ago, according to Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.During a brief interview with media operatives yesterday the Minister said, “Six (pumps) are here. The other eight,NFL Jerseys From China, the engines are all delivered… that is the major part. The pump part was tested on the manufacturing side.”Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie RamsammyThe delivery of the pumps will be made possible with Government’s “go ahead”. With the onsite tests completed in India, the pumps are expected to be delivered to Guyana by this month-end,Authentic Jerseys China, depending on shipping arrangements.In April, the Minister said that tenders for the project were opened in Guyana and in India, with two companies submitting bids in 2011. However, the contract only became operational in March 2012 and was expected to end one year later. It did not. Instead Government granted a one-month extension.However,Jerseys NFL Cheap, Dr. Ramsammy said that the contractor is not responsible for not satisfying the one-month extension which was over a month ago.“They have been telling us they are ready to ship. We were late in going for the test and that is for various reasons, because I didn’t just want the Ministry’s engineer to go,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, so I had invited a private engineer to go.”According to Dr. Ramsammy,China NFL Jerseys, though it required fixing the trip to suit the private engineer’s schedule, it was important for him to be part of the team that went to India to inspect the pumps because of his previous knowledge of the pumps at the Dawa Pump Station.In addition,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, after the team returned from India it took the Ministry a couple of weeks to evaluate the test results before the “go ahead” to ship was finalised.When all the components for the drainage pumps arrive in Guyana, the contract with Surendra Engineering will conclude. Installation of the pumps at the various stations is the next step the Ministry is tasked with.Ramsammy noted that by August the Ministry is hoping to conclude installation. The contracts for the erection of pump houses have been awarded, with some already being constructed.Together with the assets of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the country would be boasting a capacity of almost 100 pumps, inclusive of both fixed and mobile, officials of the Agriculture Ministry had said last year.

… 2010 earnings plunge 13 per centLower sugar exports coupled with an almost 10 per cent decline in export price saw Guyana’s cash receipt for this big earner sliding 13.2 per cent to US$104M last year.According to Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, during his budget presentation yesterday, the industry facing unprecedented problems with labour and cash,Cheap Jerseys NFL China, has several urgent priorities to turn its fortunes around.These include cane availability,Wholesale Jerseys USA, with expanded acreage under cultivation along with higher levels of participation by private cane farmers, and mechanisation with the acquisition of additional mechanised harvesters, cane loaders,Wholesale Jerseys Online, tractors and haulage units.Further, repairs will be completed to the No. 1 boiler at the new Skeldon factory which went down last year, and with other defects at the factory corrected, the expectation is that the factory will function at full capacity by the second crop.“Other factories will be subject to heightened maintenance and key equipment replacement so as to increase efficiency of operations. In addition, the Enmore packaging plant will be completed and brought into operation increasing value added output.”According to Dr. Singh, Guysuco is projected to incur this year, total capital expenditure of $4.3 billion on these and related projects.“Taken together, these factors should enable the company to recover its production levels and restore its financial performance.”The Minister, acknowledging that 2010 was a “disappointing” one for the sugar sector, admitted that this would be an understatement of considerable proportions.“Several factors contributed to the industry’s weak performance. Irregular weather patterns contributed to loss of cane as a result of limited availability of water irrigation at times, hindered cane transport from field to factory, and resulted in loss of sugar content.In addition, poor labour turnout was reflected in a 52 percent crop attendance by cane harvesters as compared to 62 per cent and 72 percent in 2009 and 2008 respectively.”This, the Finance Minister said, is partly reflective of structural changes in the labour market induced by alternative employment opportunities being pursued by the existing workforce. “Further, the new Skeldon factory continued to be beset with challenges constraining its operation.”According to the Minister, the difficulties confronting the sugar industry are well known and have been ventilated.Expectations“Government has made clear to the industry our expectations with respect to implementation of the plans and achievement of the goals set out in the turnaround pan,NBA Jerseys From China, including as they relate to increasing the acreage under cultivation, raising the conversion rate of cane to sugar, generating efficiency gains from increased mechanisation,Cheap Jerseys From China, and improving industrial relations between the sugar company and its workers.”Already, Dr Singh said in his budget speech, the industry has given “certain assurances” that provide some room for confidence that the turnaround will be accomplished.“As has previously been stated, the industry has no option but to ensure that the investments already made yield the returns expected of them. In 2011, reflecting the industry’s expectation of a recovery to production levels previously achieved, sugar production is targeted at 298,879 tonnes, 35.3 percent above 2010 level of production.”Rice growthMeanwhile, regarding the rice industry, the Minister was upbeat about the industry which, despite fluctuations in weather conditions, recorded “yet another exceptional year on both the production and export fronts. Two seed dryers were acquired and their installation would be completed in January 2011 at the research station at Burma…”A new seed facility at No. 56 Village is also planned for completion during the first quarter of this year.“Thirteen drying facilities were constructed in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six in order to reduce the spoilage of paddy.Meanwhile, on the rice development front, two new varieties were released in 2010 and two candidate varieties, currently under the final stages of testing, will be released in 2011.”According to Dr Singh, so as to ensure sustained performance by the sector going forward, “government continues to provide substantial support in the areas of improved drainage and irrigation facilities, new and improved farming practices including weed and water management, plant nutrition and other agronomic practices,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, the evaluation of pesticides for weed, pest and disease control a

As the illicit financial flows of 82 developing countries come under review in a new report, figures have shown that Guyana ranks consistently high in its numbers of illicit financial flows.The report, Illicit Financial Flows and Development Indices: 2008–2012, was released by the Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington DC-based organisation. The report takes a look at the illicit financial flows (IFFs) present in 82 countries which were seen as “developing” nations, from the period 2008 to 2012.These countries were distributed by region: 42 in Sub-Saharan Africa, 20 in Asia, eight in the Western Hemisphere, another eight in Developing Europe and four in the Middle East and North Africa.In the report, Guyana was listed in the Western Hemisphere region. Out of the reviewed nations, Guyana and Haiti were the only regional countries to be analysed.However, while both Caribbean countries managed to come under review, Guyana was the only country of the two to rank in any of the nine categories set out by GFI.According to the report, the selected developing countries are ranked by comparing IFFs figures to nine different measures. These measures are gross domestic product (GDP), total trade (both exports and imports), population, foreign direct investment (FDI), official development assistance combined with FDI (ODA+FDI), public spending on education, public spending on health, total tax revenues and capital stock. A country with an unusually large amount of IFFs relative to the variable of comparison receives a high rank, the report indicated.Further, these variables were chosen for their direct relationships to economic development.The data presented took a look at the 25 most affected countries in each category. According to information presented, Guyana ranked in the top 25 in six out of the nine categories under review.? In two of these categories Guyana ranked in the top 10.The six categories which saw Guyana ranking in the top 25 were the IFFs to GDP (#13 with 17.3%), IFFs to total trade (#22 with 16.4%), IFFs to population (#5), IFFs to ODA+FDI (#20 Guyana at 108.4%),IFFs to public spending on education (#6 at 511.5%) and? IFFs to public spending on health (#15 at 264%). Guyana did not rank in the other three categories.According to the GFI, domestic spending on fundamental social needs, such as education and health, are often overwhelmed by the amount of illicit money flowing out of the economy. The report indicated that with this illicit money domestic resources could be mobilized to address basic human needs.About 40% of the 82 countries reviewed had illicit outflows that exceeded spending on education. A similar percentage had IFFs that surpassed health expenditures. Guyana is one.Furthermore,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, countries with high ranks in the ratios comparing to public spending on education and/or health are possibly those that could most benefit from curbing illicit outflows and applying the resulting increase in taxation receipts to these sectors of the public budget.The GFI also noted that in countries where inequality and poverty levels are high,Cheap NFL Jerseys Supply, the outflows of illicit finances are also high; when illicit flows are high, a country’s development score tends to be low, the report showed.Interestingly, the report noted a contrary relationship between the efficiency of customs department and IFFs; in this case,Cheap Jerseys Online, where efficiency is high,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, illicit flows are low.“This indicates that good governance (i.e. low corruption) in customs departments may be a way to curtail illicit outflows,” GFI’s Managing Director Tom Cardamone noted in a release on the report.Additionally, findings revealed a “robust relationship” between high tariff rates and high levels of IFFs. “One reason for this may be that high tariffs could spur importers and exporters to resort to trade fraud to avoid the tariff,” GFI noted in the report. GFI also found that that 40% of the countries examined had illicit flows that were at least 10 percent of the country’s total trade value.“This finding may be a reflection of the fact that, over the last 10 years,NFL Jerseys Wholesale, approximately 80 percent of all illicit outflows use trade misinvoicing (i.e. trade fraud) as the method to move funds offshore,” the report stated.The GFI also made a number of recommendations in handling IFFs. One of these recommendations was concerted action by the international community in assisting not only nations with high levels of IFFs but also those that have huge percentages of their economic foundation eroded by the phenomenon.Further, GFI recommended that all countries should, at a minimum, take steps nee

By Kiana WilburgThe private investor who brought the India based firm Sun and Sand Inc. to Guyana’sThe Manager for the Sun and Sand Hotel, Bhushan Chandna (left) presenting the plan for the hotel to President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Tourism, Irfaan Ali.shores,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, with hopes of successfully having their joint venture into the mining sector realized, is now suing the company for US$38M (equivalent to $7.7B,) for not honouring its end of the bargain.Sun and Sand Inc., owned by Rajesh Satija and managed by Company Secretary Bhushan Kumar, was brought to Guyana in 2012 by Garfield Harte, a local investor who travels often. His Power of Attorney is Beverley Barker of Lot 8 Middle Walk, Victoria, East Coast Demerara.Harte owns three mining blocks in Cuyuni Mining District each valuing in excess of $168M. Based on a survey conducted, the mineral concentration of the blocks is expected to be over and above 26.6 tons of placer gold and 265,423 tons of quarts gold. The total income was estimated at US$17, 811, 279M.With this in mind,NFL Jerseys Outlet, Harte and the members of the India-based company, had several discussions, and decided that if they pooled their resources, a joint project in Guyana’s mineral sector would prove to be lucrative.When they arrived in Guyana, the joint venture company, Sun and Sand Mining Resources Inc was incorporated by Harte’s lawyer, Joseph Harmon. The company has an office at Lot 288 Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara.The Agreement which they entered into in August 2012 said that Harte’s interior properties would be explored, minerals extracted and sold, and 18 percent of the profits would be given to him.According to Clause Four of the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) signed by the two partners, under the caption Commencement, a number of things were to be executed and completed by Sun and Sand Mining Inc. It was required to get a Purchase Contract for processing plants for all three blocks, in Bangkok by the end of August 2012,jerseys from china, build camps and commence exploration in the first block of land by September –November 2012, complete exploration in all the three blocks by April, 2013 and commence production by April 2013.Harte fulfilled all his obligations under the said agreement. He was required to get all equipment for the commencement of operation and did so. In fact, all the equipment has been in Guyana for in excess of one year. There has been no exploration or production by the Sun and Sand Mining Company in this venture.Clause Seven of the JVA stipulated the percentage of the profits which should be had by Harte.In breach of Clause Four and Seven of the JVA, Harte claims that the defendant,cheap jerseys from china, has failed, refused and or neglected to make payments in the sum of 18 percent which is equivalent to $7.7B had the JVA been carried through.The investor said he attempted in several instances to make contact with the Company but was unable to reach them.He was later surprised to learn that the Company teamed up with the government and local construction giant, BK International, to construct a US$54M five star hotel and casino on July 9. The hotel is still to be constructed even after the stakeholders involved announced that construction would begin within a week’s time after a grand launch in July.Harte was also baffled when he discovered that his JVA partner obtained two prospecting licences from Manager of BK International, Brian Tiwarie.With strong suspicion that the JVA may be doomed for failure before it even gets started, Harte decided to take legal recourse to recoup the billions in losses incurred.Court documents revealed that Harte’s Power of Attorney brought the legal action against the Sun and San Company Secretary. The matter is expected to be heard before Commercial Court Judge,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Rishi Persaud.The Power of Attorney, Barker, also filed for an interim injunction against the company stakeholders and owners.After noting the newspaper articles which showed that the Sun and Sand Company developed other “business interests,” she believes that they are likely to sell,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, mortgage or otherwise part with three super miners with CD with hydrocuclone, one bulldozer, one excavator, and one bush truck all acquired by Harte to satisfy other obligations connected with their new business venture.She fears that they may flee the country with Harte’s assets and not pay a cent.Barker is hoping that the court grants the injunction to block Kumar and Satija from leaving until “they pay up in court.”Kaieteur News has tried to contact Sun and Sand owners to respond to al