Stop playing politics with sugar

THE National Cane Farming Committee has released a statement expressing strong sentiments following comments made by the Opposition parties on the current state and future of the sugar industry. Below is the full text of that statement:

“The National Cane Farming Committee (NCFC) is calling on all political parties, and moreso the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), to stop playing politics and political games with the sugar industry.

The sugar industry plays a pivotal role, both direct and indirect, to thousands of Guyanese; and, as such, it is very important that the sugar industry remains alive.

All stakeholders need to work closely: the union, workers, management, opposition parties in Parliament, other stakeholders and moreso the Government. GuySuCo is indeed going through a difficult stage, but the committee remains upbeat (and) wants all parties involved to work together, as this will create a positive impact on the lives of many Guyanese.”

The statement came in the wake of a call made by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) to cease sugar production and move into producing ethanol and engaging in aquaculture.

The press statement said the arbitrary thirty-six (36) per cent price cut in 2006 for our sugar sold to the European Union (EU) triggered the real challenge for GuySuCo, and that has been compounded with climate change and poor yields in the cultivation.

The seventeen-members NCFC Board, which is made up of members from GuySuCo, the public service, the banking sector and cane farmers, is calling on the Government to continue investing in GuySuCo and cane farming, and to request the opposition to support the role Government plays in the industry, so that the livelihood of the thousands employed by cane farmers and GuySuCo should not be at the mercy of political parties.

Farmers at Skeldon, Wales, Albion and Rose Hall have invested billions into sugar cane cultivation, and they see it important that sugar remains the flagship of this country.