Reiterating its call for a reversal of the decision to shut the Wales estate, the main sugar union GAWU says recent statements by the Minister of Agriculture and the Chairman of GuySuCo show that no firm plans are yet in place for the period following closure.
In a statement yesterday, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) said that Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder in his contribution to the 2016 Budget Debate had said that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Government were examining aquaculture, crop farming and dairy and livestock as ventures which would begin at Wales after the closure of the estate. GAWU pointed out that shortly prior to the Minister’s revelations, GuySuCo’s Chairman, Dr Clive Thomas in his column in the February 07, 2016 edition of the Sunday Stabroek said that the Corporation was examining getting into the production of alcohol and providing lands to workers for them to engage in farming. GAWU said that the views from these two authoritative persons vary somewhat and more significantly they give credence to the widely-held view that the decision to close Wales Estate was hurriedly made and not well thought-out.
“What one gathers from these revelations is that there are no credible plans at this time and that presently the relevant studies are now being undertaken. It is numbing to realize that GuySuCo’s Board Chairman and the