Opposition demands realistic rescue plan for GuySuCo

May 06, 2014 News

By Abena Rockcliffe
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) shadow Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine said that he will be holding Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy to his promise to take a rescue plan for GuySuCo to the National Assembly by June.
However, Dr. Roopnaraine and his team are not looking for the regular run of the mill report and suggestions: “…We need this plan to be as realistic as possible giving its critical nature.”
When the Opposition, in the Committee of Supply, approved the $6B budgetary allocation set aside for GuySuCo, it did so on the grounds that it will soon be provided with a credible programme to resuscitate the industry.

Minister of Agriculture, Leslie Ramsammy

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had promised that he will take before the House a strategic turnaround plan that will serve as that “credible programme to resuscitate”.
But since his budget presentation, nothing was heard about the progress of this plan and little is known about who are the persons working to produce such a critical plan.
When contacted, Dr. Roopnaraine told Kaieteur News that the opposition has not been consulted for ideas to be included in the plan. He said, “We are allowing them to do their jobs but we are willing to contribute and share our ideas if they do ask.”
Dr. Roopnaraine said the last turnaround plan has been over taken by reality as projections for 2013 failed. He said that he hopes this plan will include a detailed breakdown on how the $6B will be spent.
The Minister of Agriculture had told the Committee of Supply that the $6B will be used primarily for the conversion of thousands of hectares of land to facilitate mechanization as well as the opening up of new lands.
Dr. Ramsammy said, too, that the money will be used to facilitate the upgrade of a number of estates, including a $500M allocation for the Skeldon Sugar Factory. The Minister added that when the Budget was prepared there was an $11B deficit, which the $6B would be used to alleviate in some measure. But as long as the turnaround is on track, he is optimistic that the industry would not be seeking another bailout before the end of this year.
But according to Roopnaraine, it is crucial that “we know how the resources are being used in further detail.”
He told Kaieteur News that the there must be some kind of major and meaningful difference in this plan that will make it different from the others and give some kind of hope that GuySuCo can see an actual turnaround.
The Member of Parliament is looking to see addresses to all areas down to cultivation practices and application of fertilizer… “We need to know about the run down infrastructure, the state of dams and bridges …This must not only be a report about the factory. We need a real report from the state of husbandry practices to the management of resources.
The Member of Parliament also touched on the need for an efficient board. He said that less mentioned of the present board the better.
Dr. Roopnaraine said that the new board should not be made up of political friends. “We want to see qualified people in this field to be on the board. Let’s face it: GuySuCo needs all the help it can get.”
He said that the new board will have its work cut out and an important task for the members would be for them to examine the mistakes of the past board so as to avoid a repeat.
According to the Agriculture Minister, the new board is being appointed based on a number of recommendations made. He said that the “persons will bring experience in the industry in business and marketing and mechanization, because these are the issues we have to face.”
Efforts to contact Dr. Ramsammy for comments on the strategic plan proved futile.

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