Closure resulted in economic misfortune for farmers – industry insider

… says even promises of rice cultivation were not kept

A tugboat captain in the industry’s heydays, Gordon Thomas, was an integral part of life on the Wales Sugar Estate, on the West Bank of Demerara, as he was responsible for transporting the cane. However, since the closure of the estate, misfortune has followed the displaced workers.
This is according to the tugboat captain, who, during a recent interview on the television show, ‘The Factor’, revealed that while there have been incidents of some workers resorting to seeking assistance or “begging”, others have ventured into small-sale cash crop farming.

In September 2016, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) had announced that 484 acres of the Wales estate would be used for rice cultivation. Tenders had been put out for massive land clearing to be done.
Thomas revealed that even though the Government had announced its intention to diversify and enter into rice cultivation on parts of the land, even that promise was not been kept.
“They said that they want to plant rice. They said they are expecting to reap rice in March. I want the public out there to know that there’s nothing, they just plough some land there and leave it like that and it has been (overgrown) with bushes again. People need to go out there and see what’s going on. They ploughed about eight to nine fields. They take away all the machines.”
Government had also put out tenders for infrastructural works for the transport of cane to Uitvlugt, located on the West Coast of Demerara. The tender had included building bridges. But even then, workers had complained of the transportation costs.
On the Factor, co-panelist Ravi Dev explained that sugar, when reaped, must be transported as quickly as possible to be ground, since the greater the exposure to the elements, especially sunlight, the more the cane would lose its sucrose content. This, he said, would result in less profitability.
The tug captain revealed that workers had already abandoned the cane they were expected to transport from Wales to Uitvlugt, as they have no road to transport it on.
Thomas said that instead, some farmers have turned to alternative means to earn a living, since it was not feasible for them to transport their cane to Uitvlugt. He stated that many have turned to cash crops.
“They have already abandoned it and they’re doing that because they cannot afford to take to Uitvlugt. Because there’s nothing more that they can do. It’s not worth it for them to take in their cane to Uitvlugt, so some of them turned to planting cassava.”

Jobless youths
According to the tugboat captain, at this point youths are just walking around in a state of idleness because there are no longer job opportunities in Wales.
“There’s nothing in Wales that they put in place for these people to restart working to sustain themselves, because before I left home, about five (former employees) came to me asking for something. They don’t have anything. It’s really ridiculous in Wales, to be honest with you.”
Meanwhile, Dev made a case for the sugar fields to be turned over to farmers. He posited that the land could be divided into 15 acre plots and be given to those farmers who are willing to cultivate it.
“If Wales or Uitvlugt Estate were privatised and if the sugar cane is done in private hands like farmers, you can run those things profitably,” Dev emphasised.
And with the land now abandoned, the panelists expressed worry that the land was intended for other uses besides sugar. A comparison was made with the pilot project that management firm, Booker Tate, had initiated to encourage individual farming, including its start of the Belle Vue community catering for sugar cane farmers.
“Bookers experimented with giving workers acres to plant and they built a housing scheme, Belle Vue. This Government is supposed to be for the people. That was a colonial power that did that. Why couldn’t we? You are not having any risks. The farmers are telling you they will plant it,” Dev continued.
Last year, GuySuCo Chairman, Dr Clive Thomas had stated that land for cane farming would be made available to displaced workers.
Thomas was quoted as saying that “the closure of Wales is immediately linked to the commencement of diversification programmes envisaged to begin in October coming this year. Some of these programmes involve land for workers to engage in peasant cane farming and land for their other crops as well.”
Since the process started to close the Wales Estate and transfer workers to Uitvlugt, ostensibly due to GuySuCo’s cash strapped status, there has been staunch opposition.
This opposition has come not only from the workers, but also other stakeholders such as the People’s Progressive Party.
Former Wales Estate workers protested as recent as last week, contending that since they have refused to work at the Uitvlugt Estate, the Government was dragging its feet with regards giving them the severance pay they deserve.
Government is adamant, however, that workers have been paid their severance.