– Finance MinisterMinister of Finance Ashni Singh and Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud yesterday joined members of the Community Development Council (CDC) of Region Four at its Annual Conference at the Diamond Secondary School.Held under the theme “Uniting Communities Across Guyana,” the conference was attended by over forty CDCs in the region including Mahaica and Kuru Kuru.Spearheaded by National Director of the CDC,Supply Cheap Jerseys, Philomena Sahoye-Shury,China Jerseys Cheap, the event in addition to allowing for interaction among the different CDCs, also provided a forum whereby the concerns of the councils were discussed and addressed.Each CDC also presented reports of the many projects implemented in their communities.National Director of the CDC Philomena Sahoye-Shury with some members of the different CDCsThere are over 400 CDCs countrywide. The councils actively work with the different groups in the communities,Cheap Jerseys, including the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA),the? women’s and farmers’ groups in facilitating projects aimed at fostering cleaner environment,China Jerseys Cheap, healthier lifestyles and eradicating poverty? in the communities.Minister of Finance, Ashni Singh, told the councils that CDCs are crucial in ensuring that the community projects are identified and implemented.He commended the councils on their decision to get involved in the development of their communities.“It is leadership such as yours that we need and will serve our country well going forward,Wholesale Jerseys China,” he said.He said their proactive actions not only show their commitment towards the development of the country but their understanding that each citizen has a role to play towards this development.Minister Singh also praised Philomena Sahoye-Shury for her work with the CDCs, more so in her fostering of relations between the communities and the elected officials.He also extolled her championing of the many projects implemented in the different communities and reiterated Government’s committed support of the CDCs in the implementation of these projects.Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud said the establishment and maintenance of CDCs speaks of Government’s commitment to empowering people as well as deepening democracy and participation of every citizen in the affairs of community and Guyana.Government’s work with the CDCs also emphasises Government’s commitment to provide avenues for persons to participate and engage in contributing towards their livelihood,Wholesale China Jerseys, he said.He told the conference of the projects that the Ministry of Agriculture has been engaged in with particular emphasis on community enhancement.Minister Persaud pledged the ministry’s continued engagement with the CDCs, and called for continued participation from the CDCs.National Director of the CDC, Philomena Sahoye-Shury expressed her thanks for the participation at the conference. She pledged her continued support to the communities.She was awarded tokens of appreciation by several CDCs for her contribution to their development.Each CDC was awarded a certificate of participation at the end of the conference. This is the third CDC conference for the year. Similar events were hosted in Regions Five and Six.The next CDC conference is scheduled to be held in Region Five. (GINA).

…expert advice being sought There has been no consensus on the recommendation to change the seabob harvesting closing season from September each year to May.When contacted yesterday, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud told this newspaper that there was a general understanding by members of the Sea Food Trawlers and Processors Association that there is a need to reduce the number of vessels harvesting seabob in Guyana.He,Cheap NFL Football Jerseys, however, noted that no agreement was reached on the recommendation to change the closing season.Local stakeholders had recommended that Guyana should reduce the fleet of vessels that is exploiting seabob, while at the same time, change the closing season for harvesting from September to May.This is based on an assessment that Guyana’s seabob is being exploited and, as such,Cheap Jerseys China, techniques to ensure sustainable management of the commodity must be put in place.At present, Persaud said, the Fisheries Advisory Committee is deliberating on a formula to reduce the number of vessels, and operators are willing to cooperate.He said that discussions are continuing on the need to change the closing month.According to the minister, the private operators will be providing independent data on the industry’s harvesting rate, since they are disputing the data collected by the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture.While technical advice is being sought, Persaud said yesterday,Discount NFL Jerseys, the ministry will be approaching the Caribbean Regional Fishers Network for additional expert advice on the closing season aspect of the recommendation.Early next year, action will be taken to reduce the amount of vessels that are engaged in seabob harvesting, Persaud said.He added that there is concern that the seabob industry may experience the same fate as the prawns industry,Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys, where there was over-harvesting.On September 18 last, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the association,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, hosted a workshop, where stakeholders met to determine the way forward with the industry.Chairman of the Sea Food Trawlers and Processors Association,cheap nfl jerseys, Bruce Vieira, told Kaieteur News that, while the association will abide with some reduction as well as measures to ensure that seabob remain sustainable, the recommendations by the experts are ‘far too drastic.’Bruce noted that the association does not believe that the situation with the harvesting is as “bad as they are making it out to be.”One of the difficulties that the Ministry of Agriculture has in making a decision on the issue is the fact that there is not enough accurate data to make a final verdict. (Tusika Martin)