AGRICULTURE Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has rejected outright the main Opposition’s call to cut the $6B allocated to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in the just-released 2014 Budget.Furthermore, he says he has every reason to believe that the combined Opposition cannot help but speak with “forked tongues” when it comes to the affairs and way forward for the sugar industry.
“I note the statement from both Mr. David Granger and Carl Greenidge that they intend to vote against the budgeted sum for GuySuCo. It is unfortunate that APNU has decided on this course of action, and it demonstrates that they pre-planned to cut the Budget in key areas,” he said Wednesday night in a statement to the media.
According to Dr Ramsammy, GuySuCo has been singled out to be the target, and this strategem of the opposition’s is another in a series of ploys and expressed intentions that are in keeping with their long history of being “anti-sugar”.
Said he: “Just a few weeks ago, they expressed views that GuySuCo should be closed down. It was only after the backlash of sugar workers and other key stakeholders rejecting their proposal that they backpedalled and claimed that they were speaking of replacing sugar with ethanol.
“But the intention of cutting the budget to deny an allocation to GuySuCo is in keeping with their avowed intention of closing sugar.”
Ramsammy made it clear that the Government will “resist” such efforts at every turn. “We will never allow the closure of sugar in Guyana. Yet, sugar workers and other stakeholders must not be fooled. APNU’s intention is clear: They want to close sugar,” he said.

NO BAILOUT
The minister also rejected the notion that the $6B allocation is a “bailout or handout” to GuySuCo, and underscored the fact that the entity is too important to Guyana’s economy and the lives of thousands of people for reckless action.
Said he, “We cannot act recklessly and not ensure that GuySuCo is able to overcome the difficulties that it has been facing for some time now.
“The PPP/C (People’s Progressive Party/Civic) government will stand firm with the sugar workers, the union and the corporation in ensuring that sugar continues to play a positive role in our development.”
Noting that the welfare and livelihood of more than 18,000 employees and about 120,000 people generally are at stake, Dr Ramsammy said: “The PPP/C Government will not be so uncaring and so reckless as to not consider the welfare of the industry and the people who directly and indirectly depend on the sugar industry.
“In spite of the growth of the economy as a whole, GuySuCo still is one of the largest components of Guyana’s economy, contributing about four percent of the overall economy.
“Any responsible government or political party will need to provide critical support that GuySuCo requires at this time, not only for the sake of GuySuCo, but also for the sake of the overall economy.”

ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS
In the past, GuySuCo alone contributed almost 15 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Guyana. The Corporation’s payroll amounts to about $500M and almost $25B per year.
According to Dr Ramsammy, “We also must recall that GuySuCo almost single-handedly carried the economy of Guyana during a large part of the 70s and 80s when the overall economy was in a tailspin.
“The neglect of the industry by the then PNC Government led to an almost total collapse of the sugar industry by 1990. It is the PPP/C Government that restored the viability of the sugar industry and the industry has exceeded 250,000 tons at least 15 times since 1992.
“…with the inflows into the economy, it would be foolish and downright irresponsible for anyone to seek to leave GuySuCo without any support.
“Furthermore, GuySuCo spends about $15B per year on drainage and irrigation which not only supports the cultivation of sugar cane, but rice benefits in a major way from the drainage and irrigation expenditure of GuySuCo. Similarly, cash crop farmers in Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6 depend on the drainage and irrigation of GuySuCo.
“Moreover, GuySuCo is responsible for significant injections of financial support to provide health care for workers and people in the communities and for the upkeep of community centres in Regions 3, 4, 5 and 6.”
On the issue of GuySuCo’s co-generation supplying about 8.5MW of baggasse-based energy to the National Grid, from Line Path to Mahaica during the grinding season, Dr Ramsammy said:
“This is in direct contrast to the totally fabricated statement from Mr. Greenidge that GuySuCo has never provided any energy to the national grid.”
He said too that even as the industry struggles to cope with climate change, as well as the unreasonable price cut by the Europeans, Government will ensure that GuySuCo, in a short while from now, recovers its place as the undisputed giant within Guyana’s economy.
“The PPP/C is committed to the strengthening of GuySuCo,” he said, “and we are encouraged that during periods of good weather, GuySuCo demonstrates its ability to meet expectations.
“For example, GuySuCo is already approaching 40,000 tons for this crop; and as long as the weather remains friendly, GuySuCo should have no difficulties meeting its first crop targets.”
The Agriculture Minister called on all workers and the Guyanese people to be united in our determination to stop APNU from their efforts to derail our development. “I also reject the hypocrisy of APNU and AFC on the matter of budgetary allocations to GuySuCo,” he said.
“These political parties have previously stated that the Government of Guyana should allocate the total sum that the EU provided under the sugar protocol as a support because of the cut in sugar price since 2009.
“Indeed, the Government of Guyana has allocated sums in excess of what the EU has provided in sugar support. Yet now we see APNU promising to cut the budgetary allocation for GuySuCo. It demonstrates that they speak with fork tongue and they never had the welfare of the sugar workers at heart.”
GAWU CALL
On the issue of the call by Head of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand, for a public account of the EU sugar money, the minister noted that he welcomes the opportunity to work with GAWU to account for the expenditure towards GuySuCo.
“I note the call from GAWU to clarify the Government’s allocation to GuySuCo,” he said. “I am inviting GAWU to a meeting to discuss the matter and clear up any misunderstanding that they might have. I am certain that GAWU will be satisfied that the GOG (Government of Guyana) has surpassed sums from the EU as payments to GuySuCo. I am confident that together the GOG and GuySuCo will weather the storm.
“I am certain that beginning in 2014, GuySuCo will begin a rapid accent towards our goal of 300,000, then 400,000 and 450,000 tons of sugar by 2020.”
The sector minister called on Guyanese to act sensibly and to protect Guyana’s economy by ensuring that we continue to work with GuySuCo to overcome the difficulties it presently faces.
By Vanessa Narine