Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 13, 2016 Letters
Dear Editor,
I wish to disagree with a letter by George Daniels titled “Sugar future is long gone” on the ground that the main thrust of his submission rests upon the premise of low and declining global sugar consumption. I wish to point out that the data does not lend credence to the assertion made. The facts are, according to Czarnikow, that global sugar consumption was 179.1 million tonnes in 2013/14 and 183.1 million tonnes in 2014/15, and it is expected to rise to 186.1 million tonnes in 2015/16.
The APNU/AFC Parliamentarian, Mr Charrandas Persaud in defending recently the Government in the National Assembly in bringing about the soon-to-be demise of Wales Estate also pointed to the lower sugar consumption. Mr. Daniels also contended that many sugar industries benefitted from state subsidies and this depresses the World Market Price (WMP). Indeed, all of the more than 100 sugar producing countries in the world offer different forms of support or subsidy to their sugar industry.
In Guyana, there is moral and social justification for a sugar subsidy because of the people and the economy’s dependence on the industry. There is simply no alternative/s at this point in time to adsorb this large workforce should the sugar industry be callously abandoned by the Government. In the Caribbean, Barbados, Jamaica and Belize have all kept their industries intact. The industry in St Kitts was closed prior to the 36 per cent European Union (EU) price-slash which had been implemented between 2006 and 2006 while Trinidad and Tobago ceased sugar cultivation since its petroleum-based economy has no need for sugar support.
An interesting piece of information regarding Guyana’s industry was pointed by the Caribbean Development Bank in 2014 when it assessed GuySuCo’s request for funding towards the Sugar Mechanisation Project. The bank in its assessment found that “it is economically viable for GOGY [Government of Guyana] to continue subsidising and protecting the cultivation and harvesting of sugar cane and processing of sugar for export and local consumption”. Certainly, an institution as the CDB would have recognized our sugar industry not just from a financial perspective but from the broader economic and social aspects as well.
In Guyana, sugar holds many possibilities for a bright future. Diversification around sugar into areas like co-generation, refining, distilling and other forms of value added sugar holds the key for once again a viable industry. Solidarity to the industry is very much critical to our country future and development.
Fredrick Yuvraj
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