– Rohee says challenges were anticipated

GENERAL-SECRETARY of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee, acknowledged that sugar production for 2013 was the lowest in 22 years, but made a point to note that production was not low each of those 22 years.This was his contention, on Monday, as he rejected the assertion that the current Administration is “running the sugar industry into the ground” at a press conference held at Freedom House, Robb Street.
He said, “I will never accept that criticism of running it into the ground. That is an over-exaggeration. We recognize where the problems are and what the problems are. We are working to address those problems and I am optimistic that given time, the industry will rebound.”
According to him, the challenges facing the local sugar industry were anticipated, with the loss of its preferential markets.
He noted that the US$200M investment at the Skeldon factory and the US$12M packaging plant at Enmore were among some of the initiatives undertaken to modernize the sector in order to be able to improve its operations and reduce the impacts of the loss of the preferential markets.
Rohee said, “We began preparing ourselves for that by looking for more market access in Caribbean countries. What we are facing now in the sugar industry is a manifestation of what was long anticipated would come.
“I would describe what we’re experiencing now is mainly teething problems associated with the transformation of the sugar industry as a result of the negative impact of the withering away of preferential market access to Europe.”
The General Secretary made it clear that a comparative analysis of the sugar producing countries across the globe would show that Guyana is not unique in the challenges it faces.
“We recognize what and where the problems are and the Administration is working to address this,” he said.
Rohee pointed out that in the Caribbean, Guyana is a “shining star” when one considers the problems with the region’s production.
“If there is any government in this country that knows how to run a sugar industry is a government in which the People’s Progressive Party is major player and that’s a historical fact,” the PPP General-Secretary stressed.

(By Vanessa Narine )