“If you’re doing anything illegal, put yourself in order” – Bharrat warns miners

As the Guyana Government continues with efforts to crack down on illegal mining activities, Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat is cautioning miners, especially foreign operators, to ensure they have their affairs in order or face consequences.

“We are dealing with all illegal activities in the mining sector on a zero-tolerance basis… Recently, we seized a number of equipment – excavators, dredges and generators – all that equipment because of illegal mining and we will continue to do that. So, if you’re doing anything illegal, put yourself in order. That’s all I’m asking. We are not here to put anybody out of the sector; we are not there to stop mining. We are not there to take bread out of anybody’s mouth. We are here to ensure that you comply with the laws of our country, that’s all,” the minister told miners during an engagement at the Region One sub-district of Matarkai.

Addressing foreign operators, Bharrat reiterated the government’s zero-tolerance campaign to curb illegal mining, saying “If we have foreigners coming here and do that we will not tolerate it…and I say to anyone here, if you have information, please share it with us.”

The Natural Resources Minister further used the opportunity to urge miners to sell gold through the Guyana Gold Board, which has an office in the Matarkai sub-district, or to legitimate buyers. In fact, with offices in other major mining communities like Bartica and Puruni in Region Seven, Mahdia in Region Eight, and Merudi in Region Nine, Bharrat says the Gold Board has never been more accessible with efforts to further enhance its presence.

“We are starting mobile purchasing by the Guyana Gold Board very soon. So the Guyana Gold Board is accessible and available to miners today more than ever so there is no excuse not to sell your gold legitimately and more particular to the Guyana Gold Board because when you sell to the Guyana Gold Board,there are enough of incentives and benefits that are attached to that.”

Benefits

Those incentives, the minister explained, ranges from duty free on excavator parts, among other benefits.

Bharrat said there are several incentives for miners who sell their gold to the Guyana Gold Board, noting that sellers receive a legitimate receipt and their production and sales are officially recorded.

He explained, “we have a record of your production and your sales so when you come in at the end of the year or the starting of a new year to renew your dredge license or your permits, then we will check your declaration,” adding that the system has been in place for some time.

The minister further stated that authorities have taken action against some individuals in the sector. “As a matter of fact, we have blocked a number of persons from the mining sector especially Brazilians… There is a list at the Lethem crossing that has blacklisted a number of Brazilians from coming into Guyana,” he said.

According to Bharrat, the decision is based on discrepancies in reporting. “Why? Because they were mining last year and the declaration is zero so if you are mining and your declaration is zero, we are doing you a favour because you are wasting time,” he said.
He also made it clear that miners who fail to declare their production or report low figures risk losing access to permits. “So, we are not going to renew persons or miners’ permits for the dredges if your declaration is low or is nothing at all,” the minister said, noting that several miners have already been unable to renew their permits this year.

Another area the Natural Resources Minister addressed was responsible mining and priortising environmental protection.

“With gold prices almost a million Guyana dollars an ounce, please look at these other technologies that are available that are mercury-free and that will increase your recovery rate, thereby your profitability.”

Wednesday’s engagement in Matarkai was to launch a series of the Guyana Government’s lotteries for small miners – an initiative being undertaken by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) that will see more than 200 mining blocks set to be allocated over the next two weeks. Lotteries for small miners began on Wednesday and will run until April 24 across Regions One, Seven and Eight.

In fact, Minister Bharrat announced that 75 miners from the Matarkai sub-region will benefit from 50-acre plots each.

“Further to that, we will have an additional 30-odd small miners from Region One benefiting from land allocation at another lottery next week, Thursday in Matarkai sub-district.

So this week and next week alone, we will be allocating over 110 plots or mining concessions to small miners, Guyanese miners because one of the main criteria for being eligible for this lottery is that you must be Guyanese.”

Additionally, Bharrat indicated that this particular lottery is limited to Guyanese who have never had any mining concession, claims or blocks. “We have attracted 128 applications for today’s [Thursday] activity. It shows that our people are interested and you want to get into the sector… And I’m further happy to say that I was advised by the staff that majority if not all of the 128 applicants are from Region One.”

In the same breath, he explained that any miner who fails to strike gold on their land will have the option to relinquish the property and be allocated a new one.

“When you sign the agreement you would see that part of the agreement states that if you go and prospect the property or if you go on the property in other words and there is no real sign of mineralisation, you come back to GGMC and you relinquish. You give up that plot of land and they now will allocate you another plot of 50 acres or if you are working the land and you are satisfied that you work out the land and that there is no more gold here to mine anymore, then you come back to GGMC again and you say to them that they’ve worked out this land I’m ready to relinquish it, and I’m seeking an alternative and they will give you… So, the intention is to keep those 75 persons in mining one way or the other.”