Ministry will support a diligent, balanced and honest public discourse

Sep 16, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Please permit me to comment on your editorial of Monday, 15 September, 2008 entitled “Sugar on the line”.
Your editorial has recognised the dangers of making the sugar industry into a political football, particularly at a time when it is struggling against the arbitrary cuts in the price of sugar unilaterally imposed by the European Union and the soon-to-be-abolished Sugar Protocol.

There is recognition also of the imposition of compulsory Arbitration in respect to establishing wages for 2008 that can be considered fair and reasonable to all the parties, including the workers.

It is against this background that I have found cause to speak out against the irresponsibility of one political party which seems bent on creating mischief in the industry.

The fact is that the pendulum had swung from a production peak of 382,648 tonnes of sugar in 1971 to the decline in 1990 of 132,000 tonnes.

Upon the advent of a new Administration in 1992, GuySuCo’s production and profitability improved with an effective programme of rationalisation, as well as the implementation of more effective systems in field and factory operations. The Sugar Levy was removed, allowing greater resources to be reinvested to modernise the industry.

The Government, in recent years, has been making direct and indirect substantial investments in the sugar industry to ensure its survival as a viable entity.

There is a strategic plan for the industry and along the way challenges and hurdles will be encountered and must be overcome.

Many of these are being actively addressed, including the need for improved management across the industry.

Your editorial makes reference to the recent Production and Financial Review of the Guyana Sugar Industry commissioned by my Ministry; a clear indication of our resolve to identify the problems and have them addressed.

The Government of Guyana has seen production levels fall below target during the past years and has, therefore, requested a review of GUYSUCO production over the past 10 years, in order to determine the reasons in the context of the current state of the industry.I note your newspaper’s intention to conduct its own inquiry into the state of health of the sugar industry.

My Ministry will support a diligent, balanced and honest public discourse. Just recently, GuySuCo’s operations and plans were brought to the attention of the National Assembly.

Further, the Board of Directors and Management have been directed to keep all stakeholders engaged on opportunities and challenges facing the industry.

It is my hope that political opportunistic tendencies will not emerge during these testing times as we battle to make sugar a competitive and viable industry.
Robert M. Persaud,
MBA, MP Minister of Agriculture

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