President Dr Irfaan Ali said that a special task force will be immediately mobilised to address the concerns of the fisherfolk and vendors at the Meadow Bank Wharf.
The Head of State made this announcement while on a visit to the area early this morning. He was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, officials from the Fisheries Department as well as senior members of the Guyana Police Force.
“I’ve asked the Minister of Agriculture to immediately deploy a task force here…to improve the environment, improve the security.”
The President explained that the visit was prompted by the many concerns raised by stakeholders.
“I wanted to understand the issues myself. I wanted to be out here in the working environment to understand the challenges that they are faced within the environment they operate in… there are a number of challenges from an infrastructure perspective, from a security perspective…”
He explained that once the immediate issues are addressed, which includes the installation of lighting facilities, washroom facilities and water; a more holistic development plan will be developed for the area.
In addition to this, the Head of State instructed that the Police Force establish a permanent presence at the location to ensure the safety of those plying their trade and the safety of customers.
“The police will have to work immediately in establishing a permanent presence here to support the industry.”
President Ali emphasised the importance of the fishing industry not only from an economic but a social perspective.
“The fishing industry is critical for Guyana…just as sugar is important, just as bauxite. Fisheries are critically important, they support thousands of jobs. We are working on supporting this industry, to improve its capacity.”
On this note, he reminded of the investments being made into developing and expanding the aquaculture industry in Guyana.
President Ali and the delegation walked the entire site, inspected the facilities and listened to the concerns of the vendors, porters and boat owners.
