Cane Farming in Guyana – A Socialist Concept

Sep 09, 2022 Letters

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Dear Editor,

The recent published invitation to ‘Individual, Company or Consortium’ to become involved in supplying cane to four sugar estates provides pause for reflection, more so by those who know about its ‘socialist’ history so far as Guyana is concerned.

Professor Clem Seecharan’s massive tome ‘Sweetening Bitter Sugar’, is purportedly about Sir Jock Campbell, perhaps the most dominant decision-maker in the history of the Booker Empire. However, the way the story is told, that Jock Campbell, a professed British socialist, may not have been so definitive a player on the British Guiana’s sugar stage, were it not for his co-star Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

Their reported interactions certainly helped to clarify in the 1960s the latter’s vision for the local sugar industry. The idea of nationalisation of the industry certainly mingled in the light and shadow of the conversations between these protagonists, and emerged pointedly enough for Campbell to temporise with the offer of a commitment to develop what came to be described as ‘small cane farming’.

Not that such a breed of farmers did not already exist. There were scattered acreages from which Buxton Village farmers supplied cane to Enmore Estate; while their counterparts in Plaisance and Beterverwagting (BV) sold to the LBI Factory.

However, a Booker model of small cane farming had already been designed and was functioning at a specially created location called Belle Vue, established on the west bank of the Demerara River during the 1950s. It was the first formal experiment in small cane farming.

An industry-wide selection process culminated in the settlement of some 57 field workers at Belle Vue, in a cane-farming cum housing scheme, with each house lot accommodating a kitchen garden. A playground with community centre was a feature of the settlement.

Each farmer was allocated a 15-acre plot of cane land, and arrangements were virtually imposed whereby the estate concerned – Wales – would purchase the cane from these small farmers, who were required in turn to pay for all (technical assistance) services provided by the estate.

The commitment to Dr. Jagan who was then Premier of British Guiana, translated into BSE Ltd. and Demerara Company, together with then Barclays Bank (DCO) and Royal Bank of Canada, establishing a Cane Farming Development Fund in the sum of nearly $4m – impressive enough at that time.

The Fund was a special window through which ‘registered’ farmers could access loans for both capital works i.e. the establishment of new acreages of cane, or the rehabilitation of existing acreages. It was also to finance routine crop expenses.

I was BSE’s representative who met with vaulted managers of Barclays Bank (DCO) (now GBTI) and Royal Bank of Canada (now Republic Bank) to organise the establishment of the Cane Farming Development Corporation. Keith Massiah at the time was Legal Draftsman (who later ascended to the position of Chancellor of the Judiciary), who crafted the very comprehensive National Cane Farming Committee Act, and the creative Regulations thereto in the form of a Contract between Manufacturer and Cane Farmer, the provisions of which when breached, constituted a breach of the law.

Amongst these very formal arrangements was the requirement for cane farmers to be constituted as legal entities so that they could complete loan transactions with the Cane Farming Development Corporation, also a legally established institution. The mechanism agreed upon (within the current socialist environment) was to formalise existing cane farming groups, as well as prospective groups of farmers, into Cooperative Societies.

There were also individual farmers supplying Skeldon, Albion/PM and Rose Hall Estates; while others supplied Diamond Estate as well. They too had to conform to the new legislation.

Transactional relationships between all registered cane farmers and ‘Manufacturer’ estates were dictated by the National Cane Farming Committee Act. In particular, the price of cane sold and bought was computed on an inflexible formula initially advised by the industry for inclusion in the Regulations to the Act. However, other farming groups such as at Buxton, BV/Triumph and Plaisance were not included in this new arrangement.

Each ‘cane farming’ estate was required to assign a Cane Farming Officer whose performance reports had to be monitored within a well-coordinated structure of collaboration.

It is interesting therefore that in a totally different economic and social construct, this Administration would appear to revive the inspirational leadership of Dr. Cheddi Jagan.

E.B. John

 

 

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