Bitter sugar politics…Cane Farming Committee blazes political Opposition

Mar 15, 2014 News

The National Cane Farming Committee (NCFC) has lashed out at the political Opposition, accusing them of attempting to use the ailing sugar industry as part of their political schemes.
Through a notification yesterday, the NCFC sought to make clear their disappointment in the fact that the Alliance for Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) are proposing the closure of the sugar industry.
The National Committee expressed that the industry plays a key role in direct and indirect ways in developing the lives of the Guyanese people.

Anthony Vieira, APNU’s Agricultural Expert

The body said that while the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is going through a difficult stage, all parties and stakeholders should work towards creating initiatives that will positively impact the growth of the industry and the lives of its workers.
The Association also said that the public missive comes in light of the fact that not only is the political Opposition calling for the closure of the industry, but is suggesting that moves be made towards ethanol production and aquaculture.
The 17 member board which consists of members from GuySuCo, the banking sector and cane farmers, made a strong appeal to the Government to “continue to invest in GuySuCo and cane farming and requests that the Opposition supports the role Government plays. Farmers at Skeldon, Wales, Albion and Rose Hall have invested billions into sugar cane cultivation and as such it important that it remain the flagship of this country.”
Earlier this week, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had sent out a missive expressing similar views as those proffered by the Association.
Ramsammy had said that the Opposition wants Government to cease all investments in sugar and move towards aquaculture but Government’s plan is to pursue both avenues vigorously.
However, APNU’s expert on agricultural issues, Mr. Anthony Vieira stressed that he is happy that the Minister sees the potential of this industry.
Vieira said, “I am glad to see that he now recognizes the potential of aqua farming. They have never verbalized that before. There will certainly be a transitional period of perhaps five to ten years whilst we convert from cane to aquaculture. But converting to aquaculture along the coast would be foolhardy if we did not use the cane fields which after hundreds of years of slave and indentured labour have created a field layout which is tailor-made for aquaculture. This land is now too low and too wet to grow sugar cane profitably since the canes cannot be reaped because the mechanical cane harvesters now necessary to harvest the canes due to the shortage of hand labour cannot work under these conditions… the deficiency of understanding of the situation in this nation by its Minister of Agriculture is frightening. The only way that the sugar industry can flourish in this country is to move it away from the low lying wet costal soils to higher virgin ground where we can use machines to harvest it. What the Minister is suggesting here is total nonsense.”
The former Member of Parliament stressed that he wishes to make it categorically clear that APNU is not suggesting the removal of the sugar industry and leaving nothing in its place which can employ the sugar workers. However, “What we are saying is let us give them an industry which will employ them all, but will be lighter work and better pay since aquaculture is much more profitable than sugar cane harvesting.”
“The executives of the People’s progressive Party should put more of their limited talent towards running the country for all its people and stop raiding the national coffers since it is clear that they don’t have the intellect to do both at the same time.”
In light of the comments being hurled at the coalition, Vieira said, “These people are responding as if we presented this as our initial plan. When we demonstrated the depth of the trouble the industry is in, without any reasonable possibility of extraction. We were then asked by the media what alternatives we would suggest and we said that the field layout which was militating against us now in growing sugar cane were perfect for another type of agriculture i.e. aqua farming since the very conditions which were against cane harvesting mechanically were perfect for aqua farming. It continues to be spread as though we said that this is our main plan. That is not what we said and will answer to these lies as they present themselves.”

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