Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai said the Amerindian Affairs Ministry was very successful last year in addressing the ‘irritants’ that are affecting Amerindians in the areas of health, education, water and agriculture.
She said too that there has also been quite a number of support presented to them during the crises which occurred during La Nina and El Nino weather conditions. Sukhai made the comments while speaking on a budget discussion being aired on the National Communication Network (NCN). She said the 2011 National Budget reflects government’s commitment towards enhancing social and economic development. She added that while it cuts across race, religion and locations; it is an all inclusive Budget which focuses on various components of national development and social cohesion.
Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai
Minister Sukhai said that through the implementation of special programmes to foster development, Amerindians were provided in 2010 with opportunities to address their needs and further foster development. She added that the ministry was successful in implementing its programmes last year. As it relates to the National Secure Livelihood Programme, 200 farmers in 15 communities benefited from the programme.
Of the $31 million allocated to the ministry, farmers also benefited from the establishment of farms and the training to further boost capacity-building. In this regard, farmers were trained to better manage crops, cultivation and pest control. “We also shared technologies in terms of value-added to the produce which the farms produced while buildings were already constructed with respect to ginger production, crabwood cream and oil production,” the minister added.
According to the Amerindian affairs minister, equipment was also acquired to assist in the processing aspect to better enhance hinterland agriculture. The Secure Livelihood Programme (SLP), which was launched in 2009, among other objectives, is aimed at working with individuals and farmers’ group to provide technical training to farmers to make them astute in terms of market realities. This will empower farmers against middle-men who are aware of certain information.
The Hinterland Scholarship Programme has been significantly boosted as large sums continue to be injected by government to prepare particularly the youths for a technologically-advanced future. A significant development was the commissioning of a $94.5 million dormitory at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, which has the capacity to house about 160 hinterland students.
Government has been working assiduously to ensure that additional support is provided to Amerindians, to develop the economic aspect of village life.
