This restructuring program is going to be a travesty on the forest sector, GFC and international community

May 11, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I refer to a Stabroek News letter of April 26th, 2019 titled (Hall-led restructuring of GFC will undo all of the good of UK-funded work). By extension of the same sentiments, the forest sector and GFC has benefited significantly over the years from support from the US Government through USAID and the Guyana Trade and Investment Project and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
From a sector point of view, in the early years of the USAID/GTIS project, a number of projects and initiatives were undertaken between the GFC and the forest sector.
There were a number of exchange visits to other tropical forest producing countries such as Brazil and Suriname, to share experiences and more importantly, observe value-added production, and build the Guyana Marketing Council and Trade body. These were all paid for by USAID/GTIS (US Government).
The USAID project also assisted the GFC and the forest sector to prepare and comply with the US Lacey Act when it was introduced, so that forest products entering the US market would comply with the Act.
What we are seeing today in the proposed new structure is a dissolution of the marketing and trade body. All this US Government and taxpayers’ monies would thus have been lost and/or capacity developed not put to good use.
The forest sector and GFC again benefited significantly from direct support from USAID and USDA through support to Guyana National Forest Inventory and Guyana GIS/Remote Sensing Activities. Both of these functions are under a unit called the Forest Resources Management Unit.
The plan is to do away with this unit and subsume it under the Forest Monitoring Unit. US Taxpayers’ monies were spent through the USAID project and USDA to assist Guyana to develop Inventory techniques and methodology. The US-paid consultants were sent to Guyana and similarly, staff and members of the private sector were sent to the US on exchange visits, especially to gather information and knowledge in this area.
Perhaps the biggest support came through a full-time paid GIS Specialist working with the Guyana/GIS unit to provide capacity building for over 20 personnel at GFC, UG and the forest industry, and the setting up of a GIS lab over a 12 months period. This was a highly successful program and I am sure it cost quite substantially to the donor for a full-time expert to be stationed here in Guyana providing GIS support.
Former US Ambassador to Guyana, His Excellency D. Brent Hardt, was at the official closing ceremony held at the GFC, so were members of the private sector and media. So, by all means, it was a very successful program by the US Government through USAID.
Fast forward to 2019, all this capacity building and taxpayers’ monies will be effectively put to waste or will be lost through the planned restructuring. This does not send a good message to the general public, the forest sector and more importantly international donors.
The honour is yours Honourable Minister to fix, as you will be judged by the travesty that this restructuring program is going to be on the forest sector, the GFC and the international community.
Yours faithfully,
Mark Fraser PhD
Forest Sector Stakeholder/Specialist

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News