Speaking at concurrent media engagements President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo told the public that Guyana’s sugar industry is viable but presented very different strategies for the continued operation of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
Speaking with radio personality Stan Gouveia, Granger declared that the actions taken by his government were intended to reform the sugar industry and maintained that because of this the industry will in the medium term, three to five years, be the most sustainable sugar industry in the English speaking Caribbean region.
“All we have done is to ensure that three mega estates are protected. The idea is not to shut down the industry it is to reform the industry; bring production to about 147,000 tonnes, maintain a labour force that is as large as necessary and keep the sugar industry alive,” the President explained, adding that while it was unfortunate that persons had to be laid off he is encouraged by what he is seeing at those estates which are currently operational especially Albion.
Meanwhile, Jagdeo during his weekly press conference reiterated that if a PPP/C government were to be elected on March 2, 2020 they will reopen three of the four shuttered sugar estates, rehire laid off sugar workers and bring the factories into profitability.
He stressed that while financially the sector might be operating at a loss it is still economically viable because of the linkages to other sectors of Guyana’s economy.
“Had they done the economic feasibility that we had asked for, you would have seen that the cost of closure is greater than keeping sugar going, even with the transitional subsidy…this is about people’s life and contribution to the economy and if he understood that concept, he would understand why sugar is still viable from an economic perspective and not necessarily from a financial perspective because of the multiple benefits associated with sugar,” Jagdeo explained.
He noted that the linkages including tax contributions, National Insurance Scheme contributions and drainage and irrigation services which still have to be funded.
“So we can’t spend a few million in transitional subsidy to the sugar, workers to get 11,000 persons back working and feeding their families but we can spend billions on ministerial outreach, dietary and rental and per diem and higher salaries for ministers,” the opposition leader questioned, adding that a party that has benefited from billions of concessions is now saying that these workers must not get any help.
“[Workers] are earning $75,000 per month but they can rake in billions in concessions and we must not look after those workers,” he said in an apparent attempt to lash out at Change Guyana’s presidential candidate Robert Badal.
Jagdeo further criticized “hustlers who now think they can come into the political arena and make their name on wild statements about sugar workers.”
On Thursday Badal warned voters to be wary of grandiose promises from politicians before specifically declaring that the estates cannot be reopened.
“From my business experience, that is impractical. And I would say, without any apology, they are trying to lie to the people, lie to the people again. You cannot close that sugar estate and after a year reopen that sugar estate. It is impossible!” he contended.
Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan during an interview with the Department of Public Information indicated that it was not possible for the $30B bond to be used to facilitate increased salaries for GuySuCo workers.
According to Jordan the bond was secured for specific purposes and the money allocated for operational expenses is “long gone.”
He explained that whatever GuySuCo earns via production is used to cover some of its current costs and stressed that the union must sit with management to come up with a deal for satisfactory pay packages.
