Govt. on mission to resuscitate Cooperatives - says Region Ten Chairman

Govt. on mission to resuscitate Cooperatives – says Region Ten Chairman

Aug 03, 2017 News

By Enid Joaquin

Government is presently on a drive to resuscitate cooperatives according to Region Ten Chairman, Rennis Morian.
Morian told media operatives that millions of dollars are sitting in bank accounts of various cooperative groups in Region ten. Unfortunately, however, most of the groups are currently not functioning he said.
He noted that over the past couple of decades under the previous administration, cooperatives did not “thrive” and that these “groupings” are no longer active.
Morian said that there are plans to resuscitate the cooperative at Wisroc, which was involved in the building of the Wisroc Housing Scheme and still has money in the bank.
Among the other cooperative groups are the Rockstone Community Development Council which has 8960 acres of land, and which was involved in the building of the Wisroc Housing Scheme. Monies are still in the bank for that cooperative, Morian said
Other groups include the Agriculture Producers Cooperative Society Ltd in the Essequibo River with 300 hundred acres, Amelia’s Ward Farmers’ Cooperative Society, which made application since 2007 but is yet to be granted a lease. This group is being advised to move forward to have their lease finalized.
The Canvas City/Half Mile Development Agriculture Society which applied in 1994 for ten acres of land also was not granted any lease; there was no follow through.
Morian said that there are other groups that had applied in the 1990s but had not followed through. He is advising that these groups come forward to be granted their leases as government is willing to fast track the processing of same.
Presently, Linden/Region Ten has one of the oldest and most successful cooperative in Guyana in the form of the Linden Utility Cooperative Society Ltd (LUSCSL).
Formerly the Wismar/Christianburg Electricity Supply Cooperative Society, the entity was registered in 1960, to supply electricity to its members, all of whom resided on the Wismar shore.
The cooperative was established after some Demerara Bauxite Company (Demba) employees approached the Company for electricity to be supplied to the residents of the Wismar Housing Scheme.
Established with just twenty-five members, the “Society” or “Co-op” as it was popularly known in the earlier days, today boasts a membership of more than 5000 persons.
The Co-op did not however produce its own electricity, but bought the commodity from the local bauxite company. It then sold the commodity to its members on the West Bank (Wismar Shore).
The same holds true today as LUSCSL still purchases the electricity it provides its members.
Several years ago a name change became necessary as the entity was looking at other avenues to garner finances, and diversify as it sought to upgrade its services to the community.
Logging was added as another economic venture, in the late 1980s. This saw the acquisition of a tractor and other pieces of equipment being purchased. Another tractor and a wood-mizer were later purchased, to boost production in this sector.
An electrical store and document centre was established on the fiftieth anniversary of the entity in 2010.

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