See full statement from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association:
The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association welcomes the usual prompt response and action aimed at the continual improvement in the mining sector. The President of the GGDMA and other executives were engaged over the weekend following a call for more support to curb illegal mining and smuggling in the sector. The Government says that in addition to already existing measures there will be ramped up efforts to deal with the issues highlighted. The GGDMA fully supports these measures and welcomes this definitive action.
Some of these measures include:
- Identifying and regularizing specific areas that will be designated landings in the interior.
- Additional mechanism to sufficiently address the legitimacy of where persons can conduct the business in support of the mining sector in the mining community.
- Address more aggressively the movement of itinerant individuals in the interior, including shops and miners. There will be measures to account for persons that are doing business in the interior.
- Engaged in additional strategic operations in targeting cluster/area that have been reported on raiding. This will include doing sweeps addressing issues with conflicts of tenure.
- Additional surveillance in relation to entities that are trading in vulnerable minerals.
The GGDMA welcomes and will continue to engage the Government of Guyana to address the rogue elements that sully the operations of the GGMC. Since taking office, the present administration has, much to the benefit of the industry, reinstated all of the incentives that were previously removed and have worked closely with stakeholders in the industry to create even more incentives in support of the industry and also to boost declaration. The Minister is constantly engaged directly with operators throughout the country and has worked directly with stakeholders to resolve issues. The GGDMA therefore reminds miners that it is part of their responsibility to ensure fair and true declarations, increase production and to work with the government to reduce illegal operations in the sector.
We wish to reiterate GGDMA’s support for the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Natural resources in taking the necessary actions to increase production, declarations and curbing smuggling.
