Why aren’t small contractors from Region 2 or local NDCs getting a break?

Mar 15, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

Reference is made to “Agriculture Remains Bedrock of Economy” (KN Mar 13) from Janell Cameron of Ministry of Agriculture in response to complaint about wasted resources at the Ministry of Agriculture and the higher prices Guyanese pay for local foods when contrasted with imports. Ms. Cameron has not provided a satisfactory answer to waste of resources and why local produce are more expensive than imports and she also failed to respond to critical complaints on awarding contracts. Contractors are favoured based on the Ministry’s own bias or instructions from above. What stands out is local contractors from Regions and NDCs are by-passed for favoured ones.

The latest example is a contract for $800 million to dredge Pomeroon River, Region 2, that was awarded to a favoured contractor from Canal, Region 3. The contractor lacks the capacity and equipment to dredge the river. His company never performed dredging work. The same is true in awarding contracts for purchase of pumps and constructing pump stations in which inexperienced contractors were awarded contracts delaying jobs or having them redone, costing more than originally budgeted. A contractor with limited experience and no requisite equipment got the contract to dredge the Pomeroon River.

A NDIA pontoon with excavator was sent to the river as the contractor lacked equipment. The contractor did some work using NDIA equipment that had almost no effect to the desilting of the river. The job could have been done by local contractors using NDIA equipment. My region is neglected in infrastructure work and in the awarding of contracts. Contractors from the Pomeroon area or Region 2 could have been given job since they hardly get contracts or NDIA could have done the job by itself since its equipment and pontoon were used by the private contractor. The Ministry would have saved most of the $800M given to the Region 3 private contractor. Small contractors from my region could have been given the dredging contract, saving NDIA a lot of money.

Why was this contractor from Region 3 handpicked when locals could have done a better job for less than the $800M. The rainy season is coming again, and we expect to be flooded again because the job is not complete. Why aren’t small contractors from Region 2 or local NDCs getting a break?

On prices of produce, the explanation for higher local prices than imports is utter nonsense. Foreigners face the same challenges as Guyanese farmers. The foreigners produced perishable foods overseas, transported them to Guyana, pay duties, put them in our market, and sell cheaper than the same local produce. Why? Something has become fundamentally wrong with the agricultural sector over the last few years. Why was this situation never obtained before, not even during the coalition tenure and not even under Burnham’s oppressive rule? Our produce historically was always cheaper. Even with current subsidies, our produce cost more than imports. How come foreigners are producing cheaper than us now?

Isn’t the real reason for more expensive produce is the massive corruption and misdirection of resources? No number of distortions of the facts can fool the public of the state of affairs at NDIA and the Ministry of Agriculture. The situation is deplorable. Staff, including engineers, are walking away from the Ministry. A recent advertisement lists vacancies for 26 positions. That says much!

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