Mustapha says remigrant is beneficiary of new trawler licenses 

After months of withholding the name of the businessman, who was issued two new trawler licenses, the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Monday, gave in to public and parliamentary pressure and released the name of the licensee.

According to a statement issued by the Agriculture Ministry, the two new licenses were issued to Rampersaud Sookhdeo of La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara.

“In order to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, the

Government wishes to disclose the name and address of the recipient of the Licenses: Rampersaud

Sookhdeo, La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara,” the Ministry stated.

In justifying its decision to issue the licenses, the Minister of Agriculture pointed out that Sookhdeo has been in the fishing industry for over fifteen years. “Additionally, he was operating under the name Haseed Enterprise in Trinidad and Tobago. He owns four trawlers (shrimp, red snapper, cage fishing, long liner fishing). He employs a number of Guyanese in his operations but was forced to relocate from Trinidad to Guyana because of Covid-19 restrictions and regulations,” the Ministry explained.

Last Thursday, while responding to a series of questions put to him by A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament, Khemraj Ramjattan, the Agriculture Minister fell short of disclosing the name of the license although the question was directly put to him more than two months ago.

“They were issued to a well-established Guyanese operator in the fishing industry, who was duly qualified to receive the said licenses, who complied with the requisite procedures and satisfied all the legal requirement in relation therein,” Minister Mustapha had only stated in his written response, which was circulated in the National Assembly.

MP Ramjattan had turned to the National Assembly for answers after being approached by the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Processors (GATOSP), which had expressed deep concern about the issuance of the licenses at a time when the country and world at large are grappling with the issue of overfishing.

On Monday, Minister Mustapha said that sections of the press had “wrongly interpreted the omission of the name of the recipient of the Licenses, as a deliberate non-disclosure” by him.

According to him, in his response, he was simply complying with extant parliamentary practice and procedures of not disclosing names of persons in answers to questions posed in the House.

However, in tabling the questions, the APNU+AFC Parliamentarian sought to ascertain whether the Agriculture Ministry had done due diligence ahead of issuing the licenses, but Minister Mustapha said there was no such requirement.

“I know of no requirement for due diligence to be conducted on the “LICENSE.” In the Ministry of Agriculture, as indeed, every Ministry in our Government, decisions are based on meritocracy and not on caprice nor extraneous nor irrelevant considerations,” the Agriculture Minister said.

GATOSP has contended that the issuance of the licenses breached an agreement between the association and the Agriculture Ministry established pre-2015. In a letter to Minister Mustapha on November 19, 2020, President of GATOSP, Reuben Charles sought an explanation on the “unilateral” decision taken by the Agriculture Ministry to issue the licenses for trawling for shrimp but on Thursday, the Agriculture Minister informed the House, there was no need for consultation.

“In the same manner that you are not required to consult Licensed Firearm Holders before you handed out hundreds of gun licenses, there is equally no requirement to consult with trawler owners and seafood processors for the grant of new licenses. Notwithstanding, the Ministry of Agriculture consults on a regular basis with each and every sector which falls under the administration of the ministry,” the Agriculture Minister said.

According to him, the consultative engagements are well publicized, however, he did not indicate whether GATOSP was consulted given the agreement signed.

According to the Agriculture Minister, a meeting was held with members of the GATOSP on January 22, 2021 during which a number of issues were raised. Both parties decided that there should be a committee established to properly resolve issues and determine the way forward. Members of the committee, which will be convened by the Ministry’s Director General, Madanlall Ramraj, include Ruben Charles, Leslie Ramalho, Dawn Maison of the GATOSP, the Chief Fisheries Officer, Denzil Roberts and the Chief Technical Officer, George Jervis.

According to the Agriculture Minister, he is committed to working and consulting with all stakeholders in the industry to ensure the sustainable development of the sector.