By Tiffanne RamphalWhile recognizing the contributions made to the national economy through the extractive sector, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud is pushing for the implementation of proposed initiatives that will reduce costs and risks of the sector.At the recent opening of Mining Week 2013, the Minister noted that a number of issues have been identified and these “require urgent and immediate attention” so as to move the sector forward.The areas of attention were reportedly brought about through collaborations with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and several mining bodies.Among the notions being proposed, much attention is being placed on mercury-free mining. According to the Minister,wholesale nfl jerseys, Government through the Natural Resources Ministry has been working on a range of initiatives to support the transition to mercury-free technology on the extraction of gold.The issue of security within the sector has also been identified as one where much attention is needed. Persaud said that plans are being made for the Natural Resources Ministry, along with the GGMC, to collaborate with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force in order to better facilitate the security needs of miners in the various mining districts.The interventions identified to deal with the security issues include firearm licences for miners, more security checkpoints, increased police presence in mining communities and “clamping down” on illegal conduct such as suspected trafficking in persons, prostitution and the use of narcotics in mining areas.Illegal mining was also identified as an area of target, with the Minister calling on GGMC to step up its efforts in this regard, while garnering support from the communities. The Minister highlighted that efforts will be made to work with the Judiciary to properly enforce action against those engaged in illegal mining, since independent actions by the GGMC are sometimes overridden by court actions.“That is the grand thing of injunctions in the court. We have had a number of instances where Cease Work orders have been issued, steps taken and then these individuals move to the Court. The hands of the GGMC are then tied and the situation is allowed to remain the same,Jerseys NFL Wholesale,” the Minister pointed out.He added that the Ministry is looking at employing new technologies which would allow immediate and rapid deployment in dealing with issues of illegal mining. Even with areas of much needed improvement in the mining sector being identified, the Minister maintained that its accomplishments have been progressive.? He made reference to the fact that value added practices in mining and quarrying have increased greatly; resulting in higher output by the gold, bauxite, sand and loam industries.It was stated that the value of mineral production in 2012 was estimated to be G$175.8 Billion, representing a 28.9% increase from the value reported in 2011. Gold mining was noted to have maintained its position as the biggest producer of the mining industry. According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, the value of gold produced in 2012 increased by 28.9% from 2011.Bauxite, also, with its tremendous output, brought in excess of G$31 Million; while diamond, quarry stone and sand contributed G$1.4M,NFL Jerseys China Online, G$3.3M and G$1.8M respectively.Also,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, lending in the area of employment, the mining sector reportedly employed 16,579 persons directly during the year 2012. According to the Minister,Cheap Jerseys NFL China, if indirect jobs are added, the sector would record in excess of 20,000 persons employed.The Minister pointed further to the performance of the sector for the present year thus far. Statistics provided showed that irrespective of price fluctuations, the quantity of gold declared for the period of January to July was a 23.23% increase on the quantity reported for the comparative period in 2012.Diamond output, also,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, for the year has increased by as much as 53.97% as compared to the level produced in 2012 for the same period.It was noted that while bauxite production took a dip, the companies are optimistic that not only will they be able to maintain last year’s output, but the sector is expecting a marginal increase.The Minister added that stone and sand output have also recorded increases when compared to the declaration of 2012 for the comparative period.In order to continue its climb upwards, the Minister noted that much is dependent on support from both the Government and t