…sugar
When the PNC ignored their own COI – which cost God knows how many millions! – and shuttered four estates, more than half of the sugar industry, the PPP immediately announced they were gonna reverse that if they were returned to power. What else could they say? They’d lost the 2015 elections by a mere single seat, or 5000 votes – much of that drawn away from their core constituency by the AFC and handled to the PNC. Who wouldn’t take advantage of Granger shooting his coalition in the foot to woo back those errant voters?
If Granger had a death wish for his party, that was his business!
Anyhow, the PPP were duly returned to office, and they did keep their promise when they announced they were going to reopen three of the four closed estates. They had big plans for Wales as part of their O&G-based industrialisation of the country. So, since then, we’ve been privy to bits and pieces of news on GuySuCo getting the three other closed estates – Enmore, Rose Hall Canje and Skeldon – back into shape. In lush, tropical Guyana, it doesn’t take long for cultivated lands to revert to the “bush”!
Then, lo and behold, – the skies opened up from April, and the Noah-type deluge hasn’t ceased since! Meanwhile, the meteorologists predict this will continue way into August!! So, when we hear about the “country” being flooded, can you imagine what’s happening to those cane fields that are surrounded by swollen irrigation and drainage canals? Not to mention the drains between the beds inside the fields! Waterlogged canes are what you have!!
So, apart from not being able to get into the fields to cut the canes and transport them to the factories, the said canes would mostly have “fallen” – making it much more difficult to cut. The efforts at mechanisation of the “harvesting”, which was supposed to compensate for the shortage of labour, will also have to be abandoned in the waterlogged fields. As much mud as canes would’ve been picked up by the Bell Loaders! Then we’ve heard about the young canes not growing under all that water.
This means that the sugar production will be affected for years to come. And we’ll have to pretty much kiss the second crop goodbye.
Then what about the reopening of the three estates? Obviously, anything to do with the fields has to been put on hold; no work can be done there. We’d heard the factories were being rehabilitated, and maybe we could get an update? But for sure, they won’t be getting any canes soon!
Can the Govt plead an “Act of God” in not keeping their contract with sugar workers?
…the PNC?
It’s pretty hard for a political party to survive when all that motivates its leadership is getting back into power – but yet shooting themselves at every turn. Your Eyewitness has already mentioned Granger’s unilateral closure of the sugar estates and pissing off 7,000 sugar workers. Then patting himself on his back after the NCM for being “democratic” – but immediately somersaulting to claim 33 wasn’t the majority of 65!
But that pales in comparison with what’s now going on in the PNC. So many knives have been drawn at Granger and his myrmidon Harmon, the wielders are tripping over each other in trying to get their thrusts in! The WPA – such as it exists – and now on the outside are quite miffed that their “representative” – alleged to be a relative of one of their executives – has now launched a new “party” to replace them!!
From within the PNC, a former “creature” of Desmond Hoyte and a son-in-law of Burnham have now openly declared that they’re taking on Granger.
Such saviors!!
…face
Now that even fervent supporters have panned him for his denigration of the Sputnik V vaccine, Harmon is trying to extricate his size 12 from his mouth.
He claims he’s worried about the cold-chain logistics!!
