Cane farmers are suffering

Jan 07, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
So the government has bailed out the rice farmers again. It found 2.1 billion dollars to do this great move to help rice farmers.
The Minister of Agriculture was all smiles in the newspapers and told the Guyanese people that this had to be done because rice was very important to the economy and there was a drop in the price of rice and the farmers had to be paid so that they can go back into the fields etc. etc. This makes good economic and commonsense.
But what about the cane farmers minister? Don’t you think that they deserve a bailout too? Do you even know what is happening to the Skeldon cane farmers? Did you not see in the newspapers that the CEO of Guysuco has said that the price of sugar has dropped from $111,000 per ton to about $70,000. Do the maths? Don’t you think that this alone means that the farmers need a bailout? Do you care that the banks are seizing the cane lands and any property they can put their hands on?
Can you explain to the cane farmers why you, the CEO and Chairman of Guysuco have all refused to meet with the Skeldon cane farmers to hear their problems? How come the rice farmers are getting all the help and the cane farmers who are suffering more, are not getting anything? This is not fair.
In a year or two the farmers would be wiped out because of the Skeldon factory. The farmers cannot stand more blows from the Skeldon Factory although they are managing their farms better than Guysuco. But now they cannot pay their loans much less do crop husbandry. Minister, do you have any idea about how many families depend on these farmers for their daily bread? Think about the thousands of votes that you would lose in Berbice. Minister, you are the one responsible.
Why is the EU money given to assist the farmers being squandered by the government? Can someone in government explain why not one cent was given to the cane farmers?
Instead of assisting the farmers, the worst manager ever was sent to Skeldon. This manager is in the news every week for all the wrong reasons. Minister, can you explain why someone like that is running one of the largest estates in the country.
The farmers are complaining bitterly that they are being robbed by Skeldon estate but the authorities just don’t care. Guysuco is strangling the Skeldon cane farmers with high charges and bad work. But no one cares that without the farmers Skeldon Estate will have to close down.
Mr. Vieira wrote a nice letter asking for the production figures and questioning Guysuco. Well Mr. Vieira, you will never get any honest answers. I can tell you, all kinds of magic are happening at Skeldon. If you want answers come and meet with the Skeldon Cane farmers. The ones who are not afraid of victimization by the government and Guysuco will meet you.
It’s time the National Cane Farming Committee wake up and take a stand and represent the farmers for a change. The Skeldon cane farmers have been abused for too long.
Beshan Persaud

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