A South African firm has been hired by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to help ensure that the Skeldon Sugar estate is fully operational, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy has announced.Specifically, the company, Bosch, is being paid US$130,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping,000 to design the modifications that are needed at the Skeldon plant,China Jerseys Cheap, Paul Bhim, the Chief Executive Officer of GuySuCo told Kaieteur News.A section of the Skeldon estateThe estate was commissioned at a cost of US$181 million in August 2009, and was hailed as the boon to the survival of the sugar industry.However, the factory has been plagued by numerous problems and has not been able to function as was intended.Former Agriculture Minister,Stitched Jerseys, Robert Persaud, had said that the government was looking for an Indian or Chinese company to manage the Skeldon Estate.But the new Agriculture Minister said he is unaware that the government had or has such a plan.Ramsammy said he remains “unconvinced that we need outside managers.”However, he stated that management agrees with him that there is a need for some technical experts to assist in certain aspects of the factory operation.“In this regard, we are contracting the South African Engineering firm, Bosch to assist in ensuring the factory is fully operational,” Dr Ramsammy stated.The South African firm is looking to design the modifications of three main aspects of the factory, the GuySuCo CEO told Kaieteur News. He said these are the bagasse plow (the feeder system, that leads to the boiler), the conveyor system and the condensate tank.Dr Ramsammy said that the plan to fix most of the design flaws of the factory commenced this out of crop period and is expected to be completed by the first crop in 2013.“A decision has not yet been taken on correcting the problems with the punt dumper. The defects which will be fixed are those in relation to the bagasse feeding system, the cane conveyor system, installing a condensate tank and obtaining a clean water supply to the factory,” Ramsammy stated.The establishment of the factory was part of a modernisation plan by GuySuCo that was not achieved. The project involves expanded cane cultivations, the establishment of a refinery, and the co-generation of electricity for the national grid.The factory was constructed with a combination of self-generated funds and loans from the Caribbean Development Bank,Cheap Jerseys Paypal, the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Guyana. The Project Engineer was Booker Tate, UK Ltd and the Contractor was CNTIC Ltd. The Skeldon estate was designed to produce 110,Wholesale NFL Jerseys,000 tonnes of sugar per annum. In 2010, production was 33,Cheap Jerseys,237 tonnes?and in 2011, production was 29,410 tonnes.According to Dr Ramsammy, attaining the full operation depends on the defects of the factory being fixed and addressing the field issues.He said that the mechanization of the field operation now means that the weather conditions will have a greater impact on operation and this has been a major impact in 2011 and so far in 2012.

An unidentified man was yesterday shot by police ranks in Berbice who were responding to a larceny of sheep report. The man who’s only name was given as “Blackie” allegedly pointed a loaded firearm at the lawmen and was fatally shot by one of the ranks with a service revolver, about 06:20 hrs in a farm house at Lochaber Village, West Canje, Berbice.According to the police, three police ranks, one armed with a service weapon, proceeded to a farmhouse at Lochaber Village, West Canje,Cheap Jerseys, and were immediately confronted at the entrance by the aforementioned individual.The man allegedly rushed back into the house, armed himself with a handgun and attempted to shoot the armed policeman who had followed closely behind him. During the confrontation,the rank discharged his firearm several times at the suspect who fell. He was rushed to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.An unlicensed silver Taurus pistol and six live matching rounds were retrieved.The house was searched and the following articles were found: One Plum phone, two silver finger rings, one silver chain, one Compaq Laptop Computer, and several electronic gadgets. The first four items were positively identified by Ravendra Bipram, 27, of Anchorville, Port Mourant, Berbice,China Jerseys Cheap, as his property. He was allegedly robbed at gunpoint on November 11, 2016, at Smythfield Access Road,NHL Jerseys From China, New Amsterdam, Berbice, by a male fitting the description of the deceased.Police sources stated that the house is allegedly owned by a known convict who lives at Mount Sinai, New Amsterdam. As a result, a team of police went to the alleged owner’s Mount Sinai home and arrested a 28-year-old male from Sand Hills, Berbice River, after an unlicensed Taurus pistol with ten (10) live matching rounds was found on his person.That house was also searched, and one laptop computer, seven cellular phones and a pair of binoculars were found. Two motor cycles, a motor car and a lighting plant were seized.Meanwhile, Toolsie Baljit, speaking to Kaieteur News disclosed that his grandson Yoganand Baljit aka “Buju” had been operating a livestock farm at Industry, situated up the Canje River. He stated that his grandson had only bought the flock of sheep about a month ago.The elder Baljit told this publication that upon a visit to his home on Saturday evening, three masked men, armed with two firearms, went to the farm and tied up his guard, he stated that the men allegedly covered the guard’s face with a bag, to avoid being identified,Cheap Jerseys China, and then threw him into a hammock while they stole 30 sheep and left.The man stated that his grandson went to the farm the following day and found the guard bound. He was eventually untied and both men proceeded to the nearest police station where a report was made.According to Baljit,Authentic MLB Jerseys Online, they received information that the sheep were offloaded from a boat at Vryheid and taken in a white canter to the location where the man was shot and killed.Reports are that the owner identified twelve of the sheep to be his. It was after this that police approached the house and the man was shot.Reliable sources state that the dead man lived on the Essequibo Coast, and had been engaged in farming of cannabis up the Berbice River for several months.Investigations are ongoing.Meanwhile, some residents in the Vryheid/Lochaber area expressed their fear and disgust,Wholesale China Jerseys, as they revealed that the area is plagued with criminal activity. According to one resident the men are “barefaced” in their actions, but very little is being done.

By Zena Henry Local fishermen are breathing easier now that they have heard from the Agriculture Minister himself, that no fishing licences have been granted? to interested Chinese nationals seeking to ply their trade in Guyana’s waters.Agriculture Minister Leslie RamsammyThe operators have also been calmed with respect to the tough licence-granting process detailed by the Minister and the setting up of a Commission to oversee the affairs of proposed deep water fishing.In what some termed as a “long overdue” meeting with fishing stakeholders, Minister Ramsammy informed attendees on Monday last, that the Chinese nationals had merely requested permission for them to start fishing in Guyana, while expressing interest in establishing a processing plant.Ramsammy related that no licences have been granted and none will be granted without the proper consideration and examination. The Minister said that the Chinese expressed interest in working here, but were asked by the government to provide a formal proposal on the species of fish to be caught and the gear that would be used, since this has not been done.The Minister also proposed that a Committee of stakeholders be convened to examine the proposal by the Chinese, if submitted. Ramsammy went on to say that his Ministry will not be giving any licences to Chinese to fish in grounds and to catch stocks already being sourced by local fishermen.The meeting, which was held at the Fisheries Boardroom, Vlissengen Road, saw the presence of President of the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors (GATOSP) Leslie Ramalho and his team,China Jerseys Cheap, who raised concerns about the procedures for engaging in deep water fishing, specifically in relation to international requirements.The Minister clarified that since nothing formal is on the table, the issue remains for the Chinese to come forth with their proposal, while he reminded that it is not new that requests are being made to study and tap into unexplored resources.In a telephone interview with this newspaper yesterday Ramsammy said that he explained the normal position of inquiry is that any investor, whether local or foreign, must meet the conditions in terms of presentation of proposals.He said that the Chinese will be conducting their own research and presenting their proposals to the government based on what they found. In other words, “the Chinese can consider the species of fish they want by going out there or by desktop research,” the Minister said.Ramsammy pointed out that studies have been done before in the country, so the Chinese could follow up on that or source out the species of fish they want to catch and their grounds,Wholesale Cheap Jerseys China, to make ready the proposal,Discount NFL Jerseys, also detailing gear and other relevant information.GATOSP President Leslie Ramalho has noted that they are riding on the word of the Minister that no plans are afoot to grant the Chinese any licences without taking the necessary steps, which include the input of stakeholders. He said that the “nerves” of those in the local industry have to some extent been soothed,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, but they are still awaiting any moves by the Chinese to submit their proposal and then the subsequent establishment of the stakeholders’ Commission.GATOSP President Leslie RamalhoWhen asked, Ramalho answered with uncertainty about the mechanism under which the Chinese are allowed to conduct a physical species study without permission or the accompaniment of Agriculture officials. While concerns were raised initially about monitoring the fishing activities of the Chinese,Wholesale Stitched Jerseys, if realized, the current non-monitoring of “research at sea” leaves the mind to wonder,Cheap Jerseys From China, he indicated.Ramalho said he is unaware of the availability of research information pertaining to Guyanese deep-water fishing and opined that if this information was in existence, then Guyana would have already gone to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and obtained a quota. He emphasized that locals would have already expressed an interest in that area.ICCAT is a 1966 Convention that, “aims to cooperate in maintaining the populations of tuna and tuna-like fish found in the Atlantic Ocean at levels which permit the maximum sustainable catch for food and other purposes through the creation of the ICCAT.”