President fumes at local airlines' refusal to lower Hinterland travel costs

President Irfaan Ali today, expressed his displeasure with the local aviation sector, explaining that Government is disappointed at their reluctance to reduce Hinterland travel fares, despite government investments. Speaking during an outreach at the Santa Rosa Secondary School in the Morouca sub-district, the President said the cost of Hinterland travel is also driving up the cost of living in the interior communities. He noted that the cost of food and food items in those areas are marginally different from the coastland mainly due to transportation costs. “We are very disappointed in the aviation sector, because we have not been able to get the corresponding returns on the investments that we are making in prices and we have to find ways to address this especially when it comes to food and food items for our riverine and hinterland communities,” the President said. This is not the first time that the Government is complaining about the cost for Hinterland travel. During the National Toshaos Conference, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo complained that the companies operating air services to Hinterland communities have been unfairly hiking their prices, which has resulted in residents in those communities facing hefty prices for food and other necessities. Today, President Ali said the Government is still considering the expansion of services of the Guyana Defence Force’s Air Corps to cater for a cheaper movement of food and people. “We have also been looking at the expansion of services from the Guyana Defence Force that can help communities in this regard, because we have to collectively address in a holistic way the issue of cost of living,” the President noted. The President also proposed the establishment of a special boat service to operate from Charity, that will bring food items and cargo to the Morouca sub-district. “We have to be able to increase food production in the Morouca sub-district, that is the most definite way in reducing your cost of food. If we produce the food here, we will be able to minimize or take away that cost of transportation and the second project that we want to work on with a group of young people, especially women, is a poultry project in this sub-region, where we can have the production of poultry right here in the poultry because that is one of your major cost,” the President noted. The President promised that the Government will continue to improve the road network in the sub-district and lands along the roads will be used to increase food production. He said for government to address the cost-of-living problems for the Hinterland, issues of transportation, food production and infrastructure will also have to be addressed to ensure the private sector does not take advantage of vulnerable communities.