GAWU blasts Govt’s failure to convert fields for rice

Sugar woes

…says groundwork must be laid before workers can diversify

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is dispelling speculation that sugar workers are unwilling to diversify, noting that Government has failed to establish the opportunities and factors to incentivise workers for the move.

A case in point is the lands at the Wales Sugar Estate, which were once earmarked for rice cultivation under the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). According to GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine, on Tuesday, the fields have instead been overtaken by weeds, indicative of an ambitious plan now abandoned.
“As recent history has shown at Wales, the planned and heavily-promoted diversification activities, like in the previous attempt by GuySuCo, turned out to be a miserable and utter failure. We recall the Guyana Times recently reporting that the cane fields converted for seed paddy cultivation, at high costs, were being slowly overtaken by bushes,” Narine said.
He added that as far as the Union was aware there was nothing going on at Wales.

“We read recently that the houses that were used by the managerial personnel are up for sale. Bearing those factors in mind, one can understand workers’ apprehension. As they say once bitten, twice shy,” Narine related.
Referring to speeches at the recent Rose Hall Martyrs ceremony from Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton and Region Six Executive Officer Kim Williams-Stephens, GAWU blasted the Administration for its “hollow rhetoric”.
“While the Minister speaks about guarding against injustices, he must be reminded the Government he is a part of has committed probably the gravest injustice against the people of Canje when they decided to shut down Rose Hall Estate and affected the well-being of thousands of ordinary Guyanese,” Narine related.
“As the sad situation in the communities of Skeldon, Rose Hall, East Demerara and Wales grows direr by the day, the hollow rhetoric brings little relief and reprieve to the suffering that has gripped the people. Today, realistic and workable solutions are needed and moving in the reverse gear is the best remedy.”
Williams-Stephens, who was quoted on March 19, 2018 by sections of the media, saying that “severed sugar workers are timid and afraid of diversification”, also came in for flak from Narine. According to Narine, the official’s comments were unfortunate when one considers all the prevailing factors.
“It is always easy to say something, but bringing it to reality is a completely different matter. The Wales experience is an excellent case in point. To move in the direction as being advocated by Ms Stephens is a substantial undertaking which has several and many important factors that must be addressed.”
“Simply to tell workers to take up lands and plant as they see fit cannot be deemed, in any way, as a realistic solution.”
It has been almost two years since GuySuCo announced that it intended to convert some 485 acres of land at Wales Estate to rice cultivation. However, the plots in the area remain desolate, highlighting that the plan has been shelved.
During a visit to Wales in February, residents, many of them former workers, highlighted to this publication sections of the land that were being overtaken by weeds. They expressed much dismay that, to date, no rice has been reaped.
GuySuCo’s Finance Director Paul Bhim had previously told reporters that some 100 of the 1000 Wales workers were identified for the rice conversion plans, including husbandry practices.
“The ploughing of the land has started. The 100 workers will be doing husbandry practices – weeding, cleaning the canals…,” Bhim had previously noted.
He had refuted claims of weed overgrowth at the land which was prepared when the Sugar Corporation was managing the entity. Now that a year has passed, Wales residents have stressed weeds were indeed taking over the supposedly converted plots.
However, the current conditions of the lands at Wales are a departure from what Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had expressed two years ago when he indicated that the first crop of rice at the Wales Sugar Estate was expected by March 2017.