President David Granger yesterday told PNCR members that his government has no intention of shutting down the sugar industry and stressed that diversification is key to keeping it alive.
“We are not shutting down GuySuCo, we are consolidating…. we are going to make the sugar industry more muscular, more robust. We will do everything to keep GuySuCo alive… we want to save sugar workers’ jobs,” Granger was quoted as saying in a release dispatched by the party last night after its second 2017 General Council meeting.
The meeting was held at the party’s Congress Place, Sophia headquarters, under the theme “PNCR – Vanguard of a Green Economy,” and it saw the attendance of General Council members, inclusive of those living in the hinterland and the diaspora.
According to the party release, the ailing GuySuCo was one of the issues spoken about by Granger, who is the leader of the PNCR, during the delivery of the feature address at the meeting.
Granger, who recently returned from a trip to the UK, told those gathered that the sugar industry in Guyana, as currently configured, is not sustainable and that the diversification of the economy was imperative
“We have to diversify. We have to produce new commodities. We cannot continue to rely on the ‘six sisters’ (sugar, rice, timber, bauxite, gold and diamonds),” he was quoted as saying.
He added that he was impressed with many of the items that he had seen at recent regional trade fairs and he called for better marketing and packaging of locally-produced products.
In January, when Granger was asked about the future of the industry, he had said that government is relying on dialogue with the opposition, unions and civil society to definitively decide the way forward, while adding that the desire was to have consensus on the choice made.
“The government’s position is that we should seek consensus, that is why we have embarked on talks with members of the opposition and civil society,” he had said during ‘The Public Interest,’ after he was asked about government’s decision given that there was no clarity as to whether the intention was to close more factories or sell them.
Granger noted that the sugar industry is a large employer and occupies a large portion of land space.
“So we are not rushing ahead. We have some clear ideas on what has happened to sugar over the years. We know what has happened to Skeldon (estate) – that was a financial catastrophe. We know about the mismanagement that has taken place and brought sugar to the present situation. We have been doing our best. We have been bailing out sugar, spending billions of dollars every year and we feel that the burden on the country should be brought to an end,” he had said.
Meanwhile, Granger’s address at the General Council meeting also touched on the environment and he reiterated that the PNCR is committed to a green economy. “Global warming is no joke. We have to protect the environment. Miners must conduct their business in a responsible way; some miners are reckless and we have to put an end to that,” he was quoted as saying.
The General Council was told that regions had a role to play in the protection of the environment. “Every region must have a protected area. We have to protect the environment so that our children can see and enjoy this beautiful and bountiful country we have inherited,” he added.
Granger the release said, also noted that social cohesion was about national unity and it was included in the objects of the PNCR. “We have a responsibility to make sure that programmes are promoted to achieve cultural awareness and cohesion. We will extend recognition to every ethnic group in Guyana. We will treat our citizens with respect wherever they live…we are not going to discriminate based on geography or political affiliation,” he said.
The release said that during his address, Granger reported on his recent visits to the Bahamas and the United Kingdom.
He also asked that in commemoration of the PNCR’s Diamond Jubilee that every region (at the Party Headquarters, Congress Place) must engage in an economic venture. He called for regional trade fairs and regional agricultural and commercial exhibitions in all ten administrative regions to promote women and youth employment, agro-processing and economic development of the regions, the release said.
According to the release, PNCR Chairman and Attorney General Basil Williams, S.C also addressed the meeting and he reminded those gathered that the coalition government was committed to putting the country first, engaging in good governance, and a return to rule of law. He urged party members to enhance their contact with the Guyanese people in all communities and to continue to work to bridge the coastland and hinterland divide.
