PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo has contended that poor management has taken a toll on the rice and sugar industries, even as he called on the former administration to be part of the solution for the survival of sugar.According to the Prime Minister, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government put the rice industry on the back foot by transferring billions of dollars from the PetroCaribe Fund for investment in development projects.
This, he said, has bankrupted the fund, for the rice-oil trade with neighbouring Venezuela.
“We had billions of dollars in the PetroCaribe Fund and we were never told that the Government that was in power a few days ago transferred US$115M to the Guyana Power and Light from the rice fund; transferred US$10 million to the Ministry of Housing under Minister Irfaan Ali to build houses and develop lands that sugar workers can’t buy and houses you can’t live in,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo told a gathering at the remembrance ceremony for the Enmore Martyrs on Tuesday.
Unlike what the previous administration had said, he pointed out that the funds to build the Hope Canal were not sourced from the treasury.
The US$16 million to construct the canal to ease flooding in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area also came from the PetroCaribe Fund.
All of these, Nagamootoo said, resulted in the new administration being greeted with an empty fund with no money to pay rice farmers.
He said the Government is discussing finding money to pay rice farmers when the crop comes up and for outstanding sums owed them for rice sold. According to reports, some $800 million has been released by Government to pay millers. Some US$15 million is owed to farmers.
According to Prime Minister Nagamootoo, while bad management hurt the rice industry, it brought the sugar industry down.
After only a few days in office, the APNU+AFC Administration had also learned that GuySuCo did not have money to pay sugar workers.
NOT A BITTER MAN
The prime minister told the gathering that he is not a bitter man, pointing out that fixing the sugar industry will not be an easy task, and all should play a meaningful role.
He said the Government wants to make the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees(NAACIE) partners in finding solutions to save the industry.
This newspaper sought a reaction from GAWU President Komal Chand on the invitation extended by the Prime Minister, but he was not prepared to comment at the time, suggesting that he would have to be fully briefed first.
The Prime Minister, who is a former PPP/C Government minister, said the views of the workers, the PPP/C and others will also be solicited when a Commission of Inquiry is set up to look into the crisis facing the sugar industry.
“The Commission will go to every estate and talk to the sugar workers and find out from them what can be done to save sugar. Sugar workers must be part of the solution; they must not be part of the problem. We are also hoping that the People’s Progressive Party, whose name has been linked to sugar workers for so many years that they too would find it convenient, as a patriotic duty, to come forward and help find the solution,” he said, adding: “The PPP can hate this Government but… they should come to the table and talk to us on how to make the industry survive.”

By Tajeram Mohabir