A new market for Pouderoyen has moved from plan to groundwork after a sod-turning ceremony on Saturday. Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand performed the honours at the site in Region Three. The facility carries a contract sum of $1,519,219,578, a figure that rounds to about $1.5 billion. Kalitech Inc. has been awarded the construction job, according to details circulated by the ministry. Ceremonies like this usually mark the formal start of building work, though a completion timeline was not spelled out on the day. Markets sit at the centre of daily life in Guyanese villages, so residents of Pouderoyen tend to watch these projects closely. Vendors in particular will be looking for steady progress and word on when they can move into the new structure. For a village that trades through its market, the measure of this project will be the space and shade the finished building delivers.