In his bid for a second term in office, President Dr Irfaan Ali today promised to deliver a host of initiatives that will see a massive economic transformation of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) over the next five years
He was at the time speaking at the People’s Progressive Party/Civics’ massive elections rally held at Albion, Berbice.
Recognising that many of Guyana’s athletes come out of Region Six, President Ali announced that in addition to the stadium that is being built at Palmyra, the PPP/C will also invest in a state-of-the-art recreational facility in Albion.
“We’re going to establish a high-performance centre so our athletes can have the best opportunity and access to the best capability so that they can be the best they can be,” he stated.
Ali also revealed plans for Berbice to get the most sophisticated and state of the art Technical School in all of the Caribbean and Latin America, which will be bolstered by a national and regional School of Hospitality that is currently under construction in Region Six.
“By 2030, your region will be the technical training capital of the entire Caribbean. That is no easy feat to celebrate. That is no easy feat to celebrate. You’re voting for much more than you can ever imagine,” he stated.
According to the president, the next PPP/C administration will pursue more family-friendly and family-oriented policies and programmes to reduce the tax burden and put more money back in the pockets of families.
These include plans for tax reduction on four-door double-cab vehicles, more cash grants, more healthcare vouchers, more jobs, higher part-time salaries, more subsidies, more infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, and new economic activities.
For instance, the second oil and gas hub and a deep-water port linked to Northern Brazil and the rest of the Caribbean, coupled with the new Corentyne River Bridge to link Suriname, will all create a thriving transport and logistics hub in Region Six.
“You will have gas processing here. You will have jobs created… You will be the home of a new power plant and AI sector [with an] artificial intelligence-driven data centre [to be established in Berbice],” he added.
Feed plants
Notwithstanding plans for new industries, President Ali also detailed support for the agriculture sector – the backbone of Region Six. He promised continued government support for the sugar and rice industries as well as for cash crop through marked reduction in taxes and massive growth subsidies for farmers. The opening up of new lands, cold storage and drying facilities are also on the cards.
“We’re going to invest in giving you seeds, extension, services, technology, implements, and all of the tools that is necessary to increase your production and reduce your cost of production,” the president stated.
He went onto detail massive investments for livestock development in Berbice, stating “We want to open up more than 6000 new acreage of pasture land. But more than that, we are going to put two feed plants here in Region Six, so that we can make feed here for the farmers and the livestock industry.”
In the fishing industry, Ali promised fisherfolks that they would implement new policies to reduce taxes and make the industry more viable by giving them the tools, access to capital and reducing interest rates on financing.
“I want you to know that all of these plans depend heavily on you, the people of Region Six… Now is not the time for experiment. Now is not the time about giving somebody a chance. This is the time to consolidate development, consolidate progress and advance our country under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic,” President Ali stated.
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