Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud has ordered an inquiry into the field operations of the sugar estates on the East Coast Demerara.
This investigation will be carried out by a five-member team, consisting of two representatives each from GuySuCo and GAWU who will work along with the Chairman of the committee, Vic Oditt.
The purpose, he said, was to review the current state of the sugar estates and to determine how these could be improved. This inquiry is expected to start next week and the findings are slated to be released to the Ministry of Agriculture after five weeks. The minister explained that the results from this inquiry would be used to supplement another that was expected to be carried out nationally by the government.
According to Persaud, there had been numerous complaints from GAWU and workers, especially from the field management about the working conditions at the estates. He was optimistic that the results of the investigation would adequately address the needs of the workers. However, he continued to emphasise that the Ministry of Agriculture was concerned about the performance of these estates, which had experienced a decline ever since the 2005 Great Flood. He highlighted the fact that the estates had consistently failed to meet their production targets.
On Thursday, Persaud, other officials from the Agriculture Ministry, along with GAWU General Secretary Komal Chand and other senior personnel of the Union and officials of GuySuCo made a tour of the Enmore and LBI sugar estates. Members of the media were also invited. A demonstration of the mechanical harvesting of sugar cane had been scheduled during the visit, but this did not take place.
