Georgetown : Minister of State Joseph Harmon has stated that the Rural Development Fund (RDF) and all of its related projects will be subjected to an intense review before a decision is made as to a way forward. This was revealed today at the Minister’s post-Cabinet press briefing, held at the Ministry of the Presidency, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive.
The Minister recalled that the RDP, a $1B revolving fund, intended for rural enterprise development, was given approval in the 2014 National Budget and was actually managed by the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce. At the time of its approval, the subject minister, Irfaan Ali, had explained that persons in hinterland and rural communities, deemed as economically depressed were to be the main beneficiaries of the fund.
According to Minister Harmon, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, after a general review, and in the light of what has thus far taken place with projects at Wakenaam, Leguan, Tuschen and Enmore, there is now a need to urgently do some reconsidering and assessment.
The works at Wakenaam, Leguan and Tuschen deal basically with the establishment of a plantain chip factory on each of the islands and a call centre at Tuschen however, according to Minister Gaskin, as of June 30, 2015, over $20M was spent at the Wakenaam building, and $33.6M is still to be utilised. In Leguan, some $24M was invested, but “it is amazing that no documentation is evident, as well as no proposal.”
Minister Harmon indicated that overall, close to $100M of the original fund has already been utilised, but the concomitant output is lacking.
He explained that the current ‘status of things’ is that the Minister of Business, aided by members of the marketing and agriculture sectors, will conduct a review of spent monies, and then report on their findings, with possible actions for Government to consider. This group will also get the input of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and the Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan regarding the purpose of the fund and its actual feasibility in terms of profitability and employment.
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