Agriculture Minister Noel Holder on Friday stated that the first crop of rice at the Wales Sugar Estate is expected by March 2017 as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) continues with plans to diversify the sugar industry.
Wales Sugar Estate
Holder said rice cultivation has already started and it is hoped that management would reap the first crop in a few months. Meanwhile, he stated that other crops are expected to be planted soon on the cane lands.
“I want to make this clear… we haven’t closed Wales Estate. It is the factory that has been closed because according to the CoI there aren’t any recommendations for the closure of any estate,” he said, when contacted for a comment on the issue.
The Minister stated that some 700 workers opted for their severance packages rather than be transferred to the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate. According to the minister, those who chose severance rather than transfer were paid their benefits on October 10, 2016. The remainder of the sugar workers accepted the offer and will be working at the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate.
It was stated previously that a total of $18 million was paid to the workers.
The sugar workers had been given a three-day ultimatum to sign indicating whether they opted for severance the package from Government or be transferred to Uitvlugt Sugar Estate on February 9, 2016.
These discussions did not include the participation of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), and resulted in an injunction preventing the payment of severance and months-long High Court battle which was recently settled, thus paving the way for workers to receive their benefits after discussions with workers were held with union consultations.
In February, the Minister had told the National Assembly that the sugar factory would be converted into a business establishment that will see the rearing of poultry and other livestock.
GAWU has long stated it was left out of the consultation on cultivating rice on the Wales Sugar Estate lands, however Holder had fired back that GuySuCo does not need the Union’s opinion on any of its financial ventures.
GAWU had said this “shunning” of the workers and the Union represents another blunder of management of the sugar entity and their advisors. GAWU continues to maintain that over the last 11 months it has been in the dark over the Wales conversion plans, noting that GuySuCo has offered little explanation on the future of many of the workers.
The Union also registered concern over the affected families of over a thousand workers.
The closure of the estate by yearend has affected some 1700 workers directly and thousands of persons in Wales and surrounding communities indirectly.
The decision to close the entity was confirmed by Government in January 2016 after Guyana Times had broke the news earlier that month.
