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Workshop held to push Canada-funded Caribbean agriculture programme Jul 25, 2024 News Representative of Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Dr. Gillian Smith Kaieteur News – A workshop to help prepare Guyana to roll out the Canada-funded Caribbean Gender-responsive Climate-smart Agriculture and Food programme was held on Wednesday at Regency Hotel in Georgetown. The Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) sub-regional office for the Caribbean and the Government of Canada have signed a grant agreement to implement the programme. The project which is being funded by Canada to the tune of CAD$ 10M will be implemented by FAO in collaboration with the various ministries agriculture across the region. It is geared to foster country ownership and to strengthen the linkage between farmers, agro-processors and public policies/ interventions at national and regional levels. The project also aims to promote and encourage the use of climate-smart technologies in viable agricultural value chains in Guyana, Belize, Grenada, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Additionally, the project focuses on climate change, youth and gender issues so as to build capacity so that all value chain actors benefit from increased market access and increased incomes. Importantly, the project is slated to prioritise the needs of youths, women and producer organisations to ensure equal access to capacity building, training activities and develop knowledge products that will enhance learning. Climate smart tools and technologies will also be introduced to improve the efficiencies in production, and agro-processing. Market linkages will be fostered through community fairs and forums for farmers and processors to connect to buyers both nationally and regionally. During the workshop Dr. Gillian Smith, a FAO Representative in Guyana expressed her appreciation of working along with the Government of Guyana and the Government of Canada on the project. Dr. Smith explained that the FAO has been working on upgrading strategies, by providing inputs to access plans, which are able to produce better technologies to support the value chain. “In Guyana we are promoting the integration of the agri-business sector and we are looking at a sustainable use of land management or sustainable land management practices, proper use of data, and strengthening data management so that we can use it to make strong and decisive policies decisions,” the FAO representative said. She continued, “We have been working as well a lot in fisheries…all towards increasing the use, the efficient use of the resources of the country as well as to ensure that at the end of day, farmers, the fishers and the producers are maximizing their potential in what they can produce and earn…” Deputy Director and Head of Cooperation at the High Commission of Canada, Adam Loyer during the workshop highlighted the significant damage done to agriculture, food security, and livelihoods of many farmers across the region in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. “As such we commend President Irfaan Ali’s swift efforts to bring together relevant CARICOM (Caribbean Community) stakeholders following the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl.” Loyer added, “We (Government of Canada) support CARICOM ambitions to increase resilience of their food systems to disasters and to other shocks by augmenting domestic food production through climate smart agricultural practices and reduce dependency on food imports.” Deputy Director and Head of Cooperation at the High Commission of Canada, Adam Loyer Meanwhile, Kaieteur News reported that on June 3, 2024 the GCAF Caribbean project was officially launched at the United Nations House in Barbados. The four- year project (2024-2028) will be implemented by FAO in Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname. First announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Canada-CARICOM Summit in October 2023, the regional project will contribute to improving the livelihoods of women and youth in climate-resilient agriculture value chains in the Caribbean. Through the Canada-funded project, FAO will work closely with local Ministries of Agriculture, farmer organizations, gender bureaus, research institutions, and community-based agro-processing centers to transform and upgrade these value chains ensuring that they are market-driven using relevant data and facilitate public-private sector partnerships The project will also increase the use of climate-smart technologies, innovations, and practices by agricultural stakeholders to make more data-driven decisions and advocate for the expansion of more inclusive, gender-responsive climate-resilient value chains. Speaking at the media launch, High Commissioner of Canada to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Lilian Chatterjee had shared that “Canada recognises the disproportionate impact of food and input price inflation, supply chain disruptions, and climate change in the Caribbean, which has exacerbated pre-existing food insecurity. Women are powerful agents of change that can actively contribute to achieving sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. Empowering women and closing gender gaps in agri-food systems is key to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. This new project will complement Canada’s other efforts to strengthen agricultural entrepreneurship and food systems in the region, notably the CA$19.8 million Sustainable Agriculture in the Caribbean project and our support to Compete Caribbean”. Related Similar Articles

Elderly Bartica man, daughter suffer burns in fire that destroyed their home Jul 25, 2024 News The Hopkinson’s home being destroyed by fire on Wednesday afternoon Kaieteur News – A woman and her father suffered burns during a fire on Wednesday that destroyed their two-storey wooden and concrete home on Third Avenue and Sixth Street, Bartica Region Seven. The victims have been identified as: Dawn Hopkinson and Albert Hopkinson a senior citizen better known as Uncle “Major”. Details surrounding the fire are sketchy at this time but Kaieteur News understands that the fire started around 13:00hrs.  Photos and videos seen by this media house showed that the entire top flat of the building was engulfed in flames. Some of the injuries sustained by Dawn Hopkinson Neighbours reportedly rushed to help and some Barticians complained of slow response from the members of the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) there. It is unclear if Dawn and her father had to be rescued from the burning house or if they managed to escape on their own. However, both of them had to be taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital. Dawn sustained burns to her face hands and other parts of her body. She appeared to be in stable condition but her dad looked critical. Albert sustained burns to his hands, feet and almost his entire torso. Investigations are ongoing. Related Similar Articles

Govt. seeks stay of order to deduct, remit to GTU teachers’ dues Jul 25, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, S.C. Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana through the office of Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall SC has moved to seek a stay of execution of Justice Sandil Kissoon’s order which compels the State to continue to deduct and remit on behalf of teachers dues to the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU). This was revealed by Nandlall during an airing of his programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday evening.  According to the AG, the government has moved to challenge “the narrow aspect” of the case which was filed over threats made by the government to deduct salaries of teachers who were on strike action back in February. “We have filed a notice of Appeal and we are awaiting directions from the Court of Appeal with regard to the notice. However, we have also filed a stay of execution in relation to the narrow issue which restrained the government from ceasing to collect the union dues and transmitting it to union…That application will be heard on Wednesday 7th day of August 2024 at 11:00 am at the Court of Appeal,” Nandlall explained. Faced with strike action by underpaid teachers earlier in the year, the Government of Guyana had threatened to discontinue deducting union dues from teachers and remitting same to the GTU -a decision seen by many as union-busting. Back then in a media release the Ministry of Education (MoE) had indicated that it had written to the GTU to indicate that the Government of Guyana will no longer perform the “kind task of being an agent for the collection of union dues which are remitted to the GTU.” According to the ministry the decision was in accordance with the ruling by the Honourable Chief Justice Ian Chang in the case of Guyana Public Service Union versus Nanda Gopaul (number 584W/2000-Demerara). Related Similar Articles

Berbician gets 18 months for smashing windscreen, window of Bel Air man’s BMW car Jul 25, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News Kaieteur News – A 26-year-old man from Berbice on Wednesday was sentenced to 18-months in prison for the damaging of the windscreen and windows of a BMW car last Saturday night. Mahandra Deepchand at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court Mahandra Deepchand stood before Magistrate Faith McGusty at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court #1 to answer to the allegations leveled against him. The incident in question happened on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at New Haven, Bel Air, Georgetown where Deepchand is accused of unlawfully and maliciously damaging a BMW vehicle owned by Ian Jagon. The damage included the vehicle’s windscreen valued at $400,000 and a window valued at $150,000. As per the victim’s account, Jagon said he had parked his vehicle, licensed under PRR 5969, within his premises, leaving it unattended. Around 20:30h that evening, he heard a loud knocking sound coming from outside. Jagon saw Deepchand inside the car hitting the windscreen with a glass bottle causing it to be shattered. The accused then hit one of the car’s windows causing it to be shattered as well. The victim contacted the police who came and arrested the accused who attempted to escape. He was told of the allegation, cautioned and arrested. Further investigations were carried out and he was charged with the present offense. Additionally, he was charged with simple larceny which alleged that he stole $15,000 in cash from Jagon. Deepchand pleaded guilty to both charges during the court proceedings. He also offered to pay for the damage to the vehicle, stating that his family overseas will help him pay. However, Deepchand has no fixed place of abode and told the magistrate that he often stays in hotels and washes cars. Regarding the simple larceny charge, Deepchand was fined $20,000 and if he failed to pay the fine, he would have to spend two months in prison. In relation to the malicious damaging of property he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Related Similar Articles

Family of Hillfoot man killed in hit-and-run accident seeking justice Jul 25, 2024 News – pleads for eyewitnesses to come forward Kaieteur News – The family of Rajendra ‘Chris’ Jaichand, a 34-year-old man from Hillfoot, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara who was killed in a hit-and-run accident last Saturday is pleading for eyewitnesses to come forward so that justice can be served for the death of their loved one. The helmet Jaichand was wearing at the time of the incident The deceased, Rajendra Jaichand, aka ‘Chris’ According to an alleged eyewitness account relayed by the family, Jaichand was proceeding west along the East Bank Public Road, in the vicinity of the Soesdyke/Linden Highway Junction when a vehicle, described only as a ‘dark grey cruiser’, attempted to overtake his motorcycle. The vehicle was met with oncoming traffic during this attempt, and swerved into Jaichand’s motorcycle, causing him to lose control and colliding with the guardrail around a koker and then flung off the motorcycle and into the door of the koker He suffered injuries to his head due to it coming into contact with ‘long spikes’ on the koker apparatus.  The driver of the other vehicle, which is described only as a ‘dark gray cruiser’, pulled over for a moment, before fleeing the scene in the direction of Georgetown. Unfortunately, the family says that none of the eyewitnesses to the incident is willing to reveal their identities or communicate with law enforcement. “There were eyewitnesses, but nobody wants to step forward because we went to the spot and we spoke to some people but nobody wants to say anything,” said Kimi Kallicharren, the wife of the deceased. Jaichand’s mangled motorcycle. Efforts were made by this publication to contact the Madewini Traffic Outpost and the Timehri Police Station for comments on the status of an investigation however, those efforts were unsuccessful. Jaichand leaves to mourn his wife and their children, who he had supported through his employment as a carpenter. His relatives told Kaieteur News that they are hoping to receive any assistance possible with the matter. One of the relatives explained: “two things in one we come here for: seek any assistance for [Jaichand’s wife] and she three children them and also to see if anybody from the public that saw anything could come forward.” Related Similar Articles

Nelson backing GDF to go all the way at CFU Club Shield Jul 25, 2024 Sports The GDF are in Curacao to challenge for the coveted CFU Club Shield trophy. – Guyanese club in action tomorrow at 5:00 pm By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – Guyana Defence Force Football Club Captain, Colin Nelson, said his side is eager to kick off in this year’s Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Shield tournament, commencing tomorrow in Curacao. The GDF team landed in Willemstad on Tuesday and is now honing their preparations for their match against Grenades FC, the reigning champions of Antigua and Barbuda’s Premier Division, scheduled for 5:00 pm. “We expect good, competitive football. We’ve been preparing for this tournament for quite some time and I think you can expect high-quality football coming from the Guyana Defence Force,” Nelson said. The GFF Elite League Champions had qualified for the 2018 Caribbean Club Shield but were unable to participate. However, following their victory in the last GFF Elite League season, GDF FC secured their spot once again in the tournament, which began in 2018. It’s a do-or-die scenario for the GDF in this knock-out format competition, where a victory for the Camp Ayanganna side on Friday in the preliminary round will set them up against SV Real Rincon from Bonaire on July 28. Currently leading the GFF Elite League, the GDF holds a two-point advantage over rivals Slingerz FC and maintains an undefeated record across 14 matches. The GDF will compete for the coveted CFU Club Shield trophy. Their only setback is a scoreless draw against Slingerz FC, who are also undefeated and have notched up the highest goal tally in the league so far (69), boasting a superior goal difference (+62) over GDF after 14 games. “We want to execute some of the things we’ve been doing for the past few years. I mean, it’s a knockout tournament and we know the importance of every game and we want to bring that intensity. But there’s nothing different from the way we play,” Nelson added. Established six years ago, the Caribbean Club Shield aims primarily to promote professional football across the Caribbean. Participation is open to semi-professional and amateur teams currently holding championship titles in their respective domestic leagues. Asked about playing against professional clubs, especially coming from an amateur GFF Elite League, the These are some seasoned teams. They’ve been here before and done well; we respect them, but we want to impose ourselves, our style of player. We want to show the outside world what we have to offer to this tournament,” Nelson pointed out. The GDF defender said his side is “not fearful of any of these teams. We have seasoned players that played in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other leagues out of Guyana. So we want to impose ourselves and showcase our style (of play).” Starting this year, the Caribbean Club Shield will be fully organized and managed by the CFU. Concacaf has shifted responsibility for the tournament, providing support for its execution while the CFU assumes complete organizational control moving forward. Under the terms of the agreement between the two football bodies, the tournament will be rebranded as the CFU Club Shield and will grant qualification to two clubs for the Concacaf Caribbean Cup. The tournament format includes up to 16 clubs divided into four groups of four. The winners of each group advance to the semifinals, with the finalists earning coveted spots in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup and subsequently qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Last year, SV Robinhood of Suriname clinched both the Caribbean Club Shield and the Caribbean Cup, cementing their status as the most successful team in the Shield’s history with two titles. Related Similar Articles

Dindyal 7-24, Van Lange 77 power Guyana to122-run win Jul 25, 2024 Sports Mavedra Dindyal bagged 7 wickets and scored 39 runs for Guyana. 2024 CWI Rising Stars U-19 50-Over tournament… Guyana vs. Leeward Islands Kaieteur Sports – Leeward Island suffered a 122-run mauling at the hands of Guyana, thanks mainly to the combined, all-round efforts of Captain Mavendra Dindyal and Jonathan Van Lange at the Park Hill Field, St. Vincent. Guyana posted a daunting 249-8 thanks to a string of knocks led by Van Lange who punched 77 with seven fours and 3 sixes. Help came from Rampertab Ramnauth (41), Captain Dindyal (39) and a boundaryless 23 from Riyad Latiff. Fast-bowler Matthew Miller grabbed 3-46 for Leewards, who had a great start but imploded in the end thanks to Dindyal’s mind-boggling spell, which produced 4 wickets including a hat-trick off his first over. The Guyana skipper followed up his 5-fer in the opening game with one of the best returns in Regional U19 cricket, 7-24. Leewards were restricted to 127 all out despite a blistering knock from T’yanick Honore, who clobbered 5 sixes and 3 fours in his 45-ball 56. Van Lange grabbed 2-19 as he too completed a brilliant game. When Guyana batted first, Dindyal and Ramnauth added 80 for the opening stand, as both batsmen looked extremely comfortable in the middle. After the loss of his brother Rampersaud for 4, Rampertab and his captain then put Guyana in the driver’s seat with their half-century partnership. After persistent bowling, the partnership was broken but by then Guyana’s team 100 was up in the 25th over, despite losing their two main batsmen. Guyana’s 150 came at the end of the 37th over with Van Lange continuing to play his shots as he crept into the 40’s. Van Lange’s 50 soon came off 65 balls with Guyana looking to stretch their total with less than 10 overs remaining. The all-rounder cut loose with a flurry of boundaries before gifting his wicket away as Thaddeus Lovell (12) and Andrew Lim (19) played useful knocks. Action continues Friday with Guyana battling arch rivals Trinidad & Tobago. Related Similar Articles