Unlicensed fishermen to benefit from $150,000 grant in Guyana
Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has made it clear that all marine fishermen across the country who earn their living at sea will benefit from the recently announced $150,000 one-off relief grant.
The minister made this statement in light of misconceptions that were brought to his attention regarding the requirements to benefit from the grant.
During an interview with media members, Minister Mustapha said that he had received reports that fishers were being told that they had to be licensed to receive the grant.
This, he noted, is not true. “An incident came to my attention; a fisherman went to an officer to register, and he was told that he had to be licensed. I want to clarify that being a licensed fisherman is not a requirement for you to receive the grant that the government is giving.
The Ministry of Agriculture will work to ensure all marine fishermen are registered and verified. Any officer found trying to stop someone from writing because they are not licensed will be disciplined. I hope our fisheries officers are not involved in that activity because my instructions were evident on how this process should be executed,” the minister noted.
Minister Mustapha further stated that the Fisheries Department was instructed to develop two lists; one comprising licensed anglers and the other with those who are unlicensed. These lists, he added, will be posted at every landing site across the country.
“We have fishermen who are licensed and those who are not permitted. After examining our register, about 50% of our anglers are approved. I want to make it very clear; I’ve instructed our Fisheries Department that we’ll develop two lists.
One will have the licensed fishermen and the other the unlicensed fishermen. We have many landing sites in our country where fishers land their catch. Since the President made the announcement, we’ve been working to form committees comprising anglers to ensure every fisher is registered. These committees will be charged with compiling and verifying those lists, after which every list will be posted at the landing sites so that the public can verify the names.”
Minister Mustapha also said that lists would be cross-checked to ensure fishers do not register twice at different landing sites. Persons are also encouraged to contact the ministry on 227-5049 or 694-6878 to report any issues with the registration process.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on May 31, announced a $150,000 one-off relief grant for fishers across the country during a meeting with fishers from Windsor Forest and other surrounding villages in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara.
0 Comment