“This Govt listens and respond to your needs”
– PM tells Belle West residents
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Residents of Belle West on the West Bank of Demerara were reminded of the many ways the Coalition government has been working to improve the lives of its citizens.
At a community meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Hon Moses Nagamootoo told the residents of Belle West, who included several farmers, “this is a government that has compassion, a government that cares and responds to your needs.”
Prime Minister Hon. Moses Nagamootoo with young and old residents of Belle West, West Bank of Demerara.
Referring to discussions he held with fruit farmers in the region three years ago, the Prime Minister reminded of the decision to have the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Business attend a meeting at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) to discuss the way forward.
“We went to inspect their processing plant where they were producing juice…, as chairman of the business committee in Cabinet I maintained to the management of DDL if they wanted to be one of the suppliers of juice, they would have to purchase buy cherries and guava, fruit from the local farmers.”
“Today not only has DDL invested US$4Billion to build a modern factory to make juices from the fruits they purchase from the farmers. But also, a foreign company is setting up a processing plant in Wales to make juice from the fruits purchased from Westside farmers,” he added.
Citing another example, Prime Minister Nagamootoo recalled His Excellency’s President David Granger promise to establish a State Land Resettlement Commission, that will ensure former sugar workers from Wales, Utivlugt and across the country have access to land. This he noted will allow them to reshape their lives as they will have an opportunity to grow crops in particular fresh fruit and greens for which there is a market in the Caribbean and further afield.
The rice farmers have also benefitted from measures implemented by the Coalition government. The Prime Minister recalled that on entering office in 2015 they met huge challenges in the sector. However, they set to work and created trade markets with Mexico and Cuba.
“Today we are producing in excess of one million tonnes of paddy, the largest production ever,” he declared.
As he closed the Prime Minister advised that voters should not allow themselves to be swayed by ethnic appeals or mobilisation for the March 2 polls.