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Small and medium-sized miners declared a production level of 161,283 ounces of gold at the end of October and Hinds, who also has responsibility for this sector, in a statement, said he was heartened by the output.
"Prospecting at a number of large-scale gold properties continues to yield exciting results …amongst which are Aurora, Tassawini, Million Mountain ...and an underground extension at OMAI," Hinds stated.
"Government wants the mining sector, particularly the small and medium-scale miners, to be successful, to be profitable, and to make money … Most costs occur from lost time when not all that is required for production is available. More predictable, reliable and convenient transportation would be a boost," the statement added.
In this vein, Hinds indicated that government will continue to support the development and improvement of roads and other infrastructure in mining areas.
Small and medium scale miners were granted a further year's grace period to prepare for the enforcement of laws forbidding the discharge of muddy waters into the waterways of the communities in which they operated. There had been many complaints about this over the years.
Hinds in the statement said he is pleased with improvements to date since a number of miners have been bringing their operations into compliance and noted too that GGMC expects to collaborate with a medium-scale miner in the North West District in demonstrating safe ways of tunnel-mining at medium scale.
He also expressed satisfaction regarding the progress being made to find and delineate economic bodies of other materials - iron ore, bauxite, uranium and manganese.
He said GGMC is working with ESSAR Steel of India for the rapid evaluation of known showings of various potential iron-ore bodies in Guyana and re-evaluation of potential manganese ores. ESSAR Steel, the statement said, is beginning construction of a large steel mill in Trinidad which would facilitate productive iron or manganese ore bodies in Guyana.
The Prime Minister said too that BHP Billiton in an agreement with Goldstone Resources is advancing its evaluation of the Pakaraima laterites as a source of bauxite feed to an alumina plant.
Together with the geophysical reconnaissance programmes of two groups pursuing uranium ore and interests expressed by others, the Prime Minister said too that there has also been a new interest in industrial minerals - sands, clays and dimension stone for cutting into tiles.
Oil and gas
Describing the prospects for oil and gas as "tantalizingly exciting", the PM said that Guyana looks forward to drilling in any offshore areas that might be assigned to it by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) tribunal which is addressing a matter brought before it by Guyana. He noted too that arrangements will be put in place shortly for a medium-sized Trinidadian Operator to drill a number of wells in the coastal area of Demerara and Berbice and in the Takatu Basin in the Rupununi. "GGMC itself is to drill at three places of historical reports of gas emissions in the North West, which may well be originating from the decay of recently buried vegetation, but which may also have a petroleum origin", the statement added.