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Private Cane Farmers to the rescue

May 24, 2014 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I refer to Page 15 of KN Sunday 18 May, 2014 headlined: “GuySuCo releasing 500 hectares at Uitvlugt for private cane farming”. It is reported that applications are to be sent to ‘GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer’. Is it true that such a position still exists – in the presence of an Executive Chairman?
The article also refers to some 500 hectares having been ‘placed in the hands’ of private cane farmers at Skeldon ‘as part of the modernisation plans there’.
It would be useful to know whether these unidentified farmers are individuals or cooperatives, particularly as the latter is the declared preference of the President himself.
More unidentified farmers are said to have previously ‘taken up’ 1000 hectares at Uitvlugt Estate. The process of the respective transfers of land: i) ‘placed in hands’ ii) ‘lands taken up’, cannot but arouse questions regarding the specific legal instruments involved, and the supplementary contractual agreements to be entered into between the ‘Manufacturer’ and the ‘Farmer’ as required by the National Cane Farming Committee, and related Regulations.
In the days of Bookers Sugar Estates Ltd who initiated the development of small cane farming the process began with the conduct of comprehensive soils analyses of the identified areas, in order to ascertain deficiencies which would have to be treated to achieve optimal yields, which, at this juncture, should be better than what currently obtains at Uitvlugt Estate.
Then there was the selection of the most suitable cane varieties for planting, in addition to other agricultural inputs which would influence the final estimated cost of investment, and returns thereon – which raises the critical question of financing. It is doubtful as to what extent cash-strapped GuySuCo can help. Note that in recent years the formula for pricing cane supplied by farmers is a matter for speculation.
Notwithstanding, the least the corporation should do is to apply its expertise to assist in such practices as land preparation, planting, transportation, etc, presumably having also addressed the issue of mechanisation in face of the expected same labour shortage, estates are experiencing.
However it is to be assumed that the current Strategic Plan has taken all this into consideration.
E.B. John

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