NATIONAL Director of Community Development Councils (CDCs) Ms. Philomena Sahoye-Shury, on Monday lauded President Bharrat Jagdeo for putting Guyana in a better position than the rest of the Caribbean islands with respect to sugar.

President Jagdeo’s oversight in ensuring a review clause in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was also lauded at the recent 11th special African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) ministerial conference of sugar held in Guyana which was based on discussing the future of sugar in light of the EPA coming into effect.

Unlike other nations in the Caribbean, the Government of Guyana had continued to invest heavily into the sugar industry.

Government has invested close to US$200M to modernise the Skeldon factory which is geared at reducing the cost of sugar to make it more competitive on the world market.

Government has also put in place a turnaround plan for the industry including improved management. These interventions are based on combating the preferential price cuts that will take effect in September of this year.

President Jagdeo had warned about the Caribbean islands signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) since it will erode the preferential treatment in the exportation of sugar, among other items.

Sahoye-Shury noted that with the new agreement, Caribbean nations and others will have to compete with countries such as the United States, Canada and England that provided subsidy to their sugar cane farmers.

According to the National Director, all the nations present were saying that if there was not a provision for a review every five years, their countries would have been in trouble.

President Jagdeo had asked that a five-year review clause be placed into the EPA which will look at the effects of the Agreement on countries.