Softer recovery of claims to former miners converted to tourist activity


Ciudad Bolivar, Mar. 19 ABN .- The cooperatives and associations formed by ex-service artisanal miners, who benefited from a government program for their conversion into tourism, may enjoy greater flexibility in the payment of claims received to initiate this new activity.

This was agreed at a meeting held by state authorities of the National Institute for the Development of Small and Medium Industry (Inapymi) of the municipality's mayor Raúl Leoni and the governor of Bolivar state.

The state director of Inapymi, Richard Betancourt, said that this flexibility will benefit primarily to cooperatives and associations in the area of La Paragua, where the national government in 2006 launched a plan to eradicate illegal mining of gold and diamond in turn provided technical assistance and financing for former miners to migrate to alternative activities such as tourism and agriculture.

He noted that many credits were handed over from the old Industrial Credit Fund (Foncrei), but after the new law regulating the operation of Inapymi, the agency took over the portfolio of assets and liabilities of the former.

For this reason, that are currently doing a review of credit granted and the progress of the projects that are running more than twenty-funded cooperative in La Paragua, a product of the conversion of mining.

"By virtue of the fact raised by the cooperative over the situation of the village and in terms of growth and re-projects at the economic level, we will assess and agree on cooperative agreements with such a request in writing that the relaxation of payment deadlines "said the director of state Inapymi.

However, he stressed that at no time leave the technical assistance to former miners who now involved in tourism, hotel and meals at La Paragua, where organized tourism is promoted on the basis of natural beauty, such as rivers and Caroní Paragua and Lake Guri, among others.

'Now, as a stronger institution and a highly trained team, we will continue to make progress in counseling and guidance to recipients' he explained.

For its part, the Secretary of Tourism and Environment of the Government of Bolivar, Ricardo Aquino, said that this initiative is part of the process of revision, rectification and reinvigorate promoted by President Hugo Chávez to advance the implementation of various tourism projects in Paragua.

In this regard, he reiterated the importance of the process of mining ordered by the national executive, particularly on environmental issues.

"The decision taken by the President to preserve our watersheds was a hit globally and from a social point of view was provided to organize the miners into cooperatives to take on tasks with great potential in the Bolivar state, such as tourism," he said.

He emphasized that tourism is a major cornerstone of the management of Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez, which reiterated the government to pursue this activity in La Paragua.