Metric system action plan approved- Minister Harmon

DPI/GINA, GUYANA, Friday, June 16, 2017

Guyanese will soon be able to purchase goods accurately weighed on verified metric devices. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon today disclosed that the action plan for the implementation of a metric system in Guyana was approved by Cabinet.

The Minister who was briefing media operatives at a post-Cabinet briefing at the Ministry of Presidency explained that the metrification plan was prepared by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to promote the use of international system of units countrywide.

The metric system was first proposed in 1670 and is the decimal measuring system based on the metre, litre, and gram as units of length, capacity, and weight or mass.

GNBS along with the Ministry of Business have been urging relevant stakeholders to use the Metric System, which is the legal system of measurement in Guyana.

The system is said to conform to the Standard International (SI) units including the kilogram (kg) which is used to measure mass. It is also simple to learn and easy to use because of its decimal nature.

With the implementation of this action plan it is hoped that wholesalers and retailers package and sell their solid goods in metric quantities.

By: Ranetta La Fleur