Kaieteur News’ packaging plant article blatantly dishonest- Agriculture Minister
Georgetown, GINA, August 29, 2012 -- Source - GINA
Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy in responding to a Kaieteur News article which stated that the Enmore packaging facility, since its construction, has never been in operation stated that the newspaper is blatantly dishonest as the plant is fully operational and it has been for some time.
Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy
at press conference
“I can only conclude that it is an example of misrepresentation, misinformation and unequivocal blatant dishonesty,” Minister Ramsammy said at a press conference held in the board room of his office today.
Minister Ramsammy said he finds it quite shocking and surprising at the very least because a reporter on staff from the entity accompanied him during the operations of the Enmore packaging plant in the first crop.
“…They spent a lot of time…took some packaged sugar home from the factory…this is not just blatantly misinforming people or being mischievous…it is total dishonesty,” Minister Ramsammy said.
The Agriculture Minister believes that the media must play its role in holding government officials accountable, or ask difficult questions to ensure they (government officials) are held responsible, but they must be honest in doing so.
He explained that significant sums were invested into the construction of the packaging plant so that the country’s capacity to sell a value added product- which is packaged sugar can be increased.
He asserted that the packaging plant is fully operational and it has been for some time, however, sugar is not being packaged at the moment.
“Guyana sells both bulk sugar which we have a guaranteed contract and it generates quick cash flow…we also have contracts to supply packaged sugar/value added sugar such as Demerara Gold,” Minister Ramsammy explained.
He added that in the first crop of sugar, the plant packaged and supplied to the Caribbean- mainly Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, more than 7, 000 tonnes of packaged sugar.
“Usually when the crop starts, the first weeks of the new crop, the sugar out of the factory is exported as bulk sugar mainly to meet the European market demand…that is the situation we have now,” Minister Ramsammy said.
He explained that after the first weeks of the crop, the plant will revert to almost exclusively packaged sugar, as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) requires all of its sugar to export to make full shipments to Europe.
“Within the next couple of weeks sugar from Blairmont and other places will be diverted away from bulk sugar to packaged sugar,” Minister Ramsammy said.
Government over the years has made significant investments into the agriculture sector to ensure that the industry is not only sustainable but also produces the highest possible quality standard, to supply both local and overseas markets.
Money was invested also for packaging plants at Sophia – which caters for the shipment of fruits and vegetables and in Parika – for other produce such as ground provisions.
