Climate change taking its toll in Guyana

Dec 22, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
As an ordinary citizen of this country, I would like to give my views regarding what is happening in the sugar industry in Guyana.

There has been a lot going on in the industry over the past six years, and we should all pay some attention since it is of national interest. The industry has been progressing in many ways, for example, the New Skeldon Factory.

However, when it comes to the production, there are some shortfalls, and this is affecting the industry, and we must relate to these as to what are the causes and effects, and we must realise that we are faced on a daily basis with the effects of climate change and other socio-economic problems.

The industry faced its worst times in 2005, when the floods hit the country. That disaster, with immediate effect, dropped production levels, and lots of planted fields were destroyed. Since then, the number of problems has increased.

I was being kept updated via the media as to the happenings in the industry, and was pleased to see that the Minister of Agriculture was making special efforts to visit the estates and explain the situations to the workers, and at the same time share their ideas.

One of the areas I paid utmost interest in was land preparation. The climate, over the years, has caused inconsistency in tillage operations.

This is a very critical area in the industry, and I am happy to see that emphasis was placed on it.
The recent rains also have severe effects on the land preparation and other activities that follow.

The industry has also been facing problems relating to marketing of the sugar and the EU price cuts. Hence the revenues for the industry will be reduced, and we need to keep this in mind.

I was enquiring about the availability of sugar, given the impression that there is a shortage on the local market.

Upon enquiring with the Guyana Sugar Corporation, I was informed that the quotas were sufficient for the country and that there has been a lot of smuggling, especially to Suriname.
Hence, the Corporation is now taking measures to solve this problem.

I would like to urge my fellow Guyanese to be careful with what is being rumoured around the place, and also hope that the industry will perform much better in the upcoming year, especially with the new factory at Skeldon.

We must keep in mind that the industry is very important for the country, because it contributes between 17 and 18 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides employment for more than 30,000 persons. I wish to congratulate the Minister of Agriculture for all his efforts in reviving the industries.

Lalita Stevenson

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