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Sugar production must be examined by people with expertise

Jun 14, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

As I have noted before I am a proud dougla, one parent of African descent and the other of East Indian descent, and therefore I am very upset when politicians set out to divide us instead of addressing the real issues that confront this nation.
The production of sugar is one of the main reasons for maintaining slave labour and indentured labour. Today, sugar is no longer something that is sweet but bitter, made worse by a government that is obsessed with using sugar and other issues to aggravate an already polarised and divided country. Not to mention the uncertainty of rainfall and sunshine these days.
I have discussed this matter with perhaps the most experienced citizen in Guyana, resident in my community. I have been told and very well believe that on the heels of the global oil crisis, there were demands to increase the selling price of sugar produced here substantially.
The price for sugar in the markets was 2 lbs for 13 cents; Guysuco advanced arguments to increase sugar prices. President Forbes Burnham refused to agree to such increases contending that the children of freed Africans and Indentured labourers earlier with their sweat, blood, tears and humiliation had already paid the price and there was no way that he can support them paying for sugar produced on the very estates where they toiled in the hot sun for generations.
Four years after his demise, his successor in spite of objections from groups labelled Burnhamites, prices were increased and worst of all, to keep pace with overseas markets, they began importation of sugar. The rest is history.
The present government continues to use sugar workers as what we call a political football. Everywhere for example, we hear that the Coalition dismissed 7,000 sugar workers and this nonsense that this is the main reason for the financial woes of the National Insurance Scheme.
They vowed once in office to have them re-employed.. The truth is 5,200 sugar workers retired with appropriate benefits and since the PPP took office in August 2020, they have only re-employed 600 sugar workers on a Berbice sugar estate. So much for broken promises.
Let us ignore for the time being, the millions wasted on what we were told was the rehabilitation of Skeldon Estate. All the while in spite of the drum-beating and noise, from a production target of 20,261 metric tonnes, the corporation has only managed to produce 13,076 metric tonnes of sugar. The bulk of the production came from the grinding estates in Berbice as the Utivulgt estate on the West Demerara experienced mechanical issues. From a target of 4,295 metric tonnes only 66 metric tonnes were produced at Uitvlugt.
When will our government do the sane and sensible thing, that is, first understand that sugar production must be examined by people with expertise and after consultation with the Opposition and the respective communities, come up with a National Plan to deal with this matter so that with our bounty of oil and sugar must make a significant contribution to the well-being of our country. Our government should by now recognise that by placing the sycophants giving them fantastic salaries to run the industry is a recipe for failure and the deepening of the crisis.

Nigel Bacchus

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