Dear Editor,

ON MONDAY, January 18, 2016, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder, announced the closure of the Wales Sugar Estate (WSE) with effect from end of the second crop of 2016. As an immediate step to ensuring that this decision is executed, the Ministry of Agriculture stated the following:
* No further land preparation and planting will be conducted in 2016
* With effect from 2017, farmers’ canes will be milled at the Uitvlugt factory.
* Agricultural workers at Wales Estate will be absorbed by the Uitvlugt Estate up to the extent of suitable vacancies on that location. Surplus labour would have to be made redundant.

As an outcome of the above policy actions, the large acreage of land at WSE will be retired. I am on record publicly stating that I am a firm supporter of the strategy to close one of the West Demerara Estates to extend the life of the sugar industry. The low-cost sugar estates like Albion cannot continue to cross-subsidize Wales to their own detriment; every estate has to pull more of its own weight. So my challenge is not with the decision, but the closure process.

On my visit to Guyana during February-March 2016, I deliberately visited the Wales Estate to have a first-hand download on the socio-political situation. My strategy was to go straight to the source and speak to those directly affected by this decision — front line workers. I was a guest of my diaspora colleague Rudy Jadoopat and two government officials. What I observed from my conversations with the front line workers was that they are ‘blue mad’ at how this decision is being communicated to them – from the studios of NCN.

This clearly illustrates that those who are making the decision on WSE are making it in an ivory tower, with very little intellect being applied to the CLOSURE PLAN.

The first act of any real closure plan is direct consultation and communication with the front line workers, and this is not being done; so the entire process has been turned on its head. This must be corrected. All of the sugar workers that I have communicated with are calling for an immediate visit to the Sugar Estate by the Minister of Agriculture, as an important step to bringing greater normalcy to a very unstable situation.

We spoke to many workers, both in the field and at the factory, and every single one of them confirmed that they have not seen or heard from anyone from the Office of the CEO of GuySuCo, or from the Office of the Minister of Agriculture since the announcement of the closure of the factory.

I therefore humbly bring to the attention of the powers that be that they ought to listen to the workers on this issue. Unfortunately, the responsibility for this “anno horribilis” at the WSE must be borne fully by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Noel Holder; after all, the proverbial buck stops at that desk FOR NOW!  Regrettably, because of the way Guyana is socially constructed, this situation at Wales is exposing His Excellency President Granger politically, and the quicker the Minister of Agriculture takes action, the better for the Coalition Government.

This socio-political situation has to be immediately de-escalated with a visit to this sugar estate by the Minister of Agriculture, to explain his plans for the geographical area. The workers must be engaged, not antagonized. The most important constituency in facilitating a successful closure plan remains the front line workers.

My appeal is that immediate steps be taken to correct this grave policy indiscretion, so that this policy vacuum can be brought to a halt.

I have my opinions on what I observed and heard throughout the agriculture belt, but that is for another time. Right now, what is urgently needed is ministerial consultation with the front line workers of Wales Sugar Estate, to acquire broad agreement on the closure plan, so that we have a closure plan that is executed as seamlessly as possible.
Respectfully,
SASE SINGH