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Jul 02, 2017   Source

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should come out and explain to sugar workers what it did with more than $348B in European Union (EU) funding it received between 2006-2013.
The amount of money disbursed by the European Union was announced last week by EU ambassador, Jernej Videtic, who also said it is unlikely at this time that the bloc would consider more support for the troubled industry.

 

Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo


The money was supposed to have been plugged into projects that would make the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) more competitive as well as be able to explore diversification.However, the industry is in dire straits. Its fortunes have steadily declined over the last two decades with cost of production now said to be three times the world market price.
Wales estate was closed by the administration last December and two more – Rose Hall and Enmore – are likely to face the same fate.The administration has made it clear that the 17,000-strong workers industry is placing a massive strain on the rest of the economy.On Friday, asked what his administration would have done with $348B in EU grants, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said that it is clear that if the money was spent in the sugar industry, Guyana would not be facing the situation of having to bail out GuySuCo to the tune of billions of dollars annually.“This is a huge sum of money that clearly did not go where it was needed.”Harmon, speaking during the post-Cabinet briefings at the Ministry of the Presidency, noted

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

that the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, under whose watch the slide of GuySuCo continued, has been calling for a number of inquiries with regards to this administration.If there was ever an inquiry in the EU billions, Harmon said, “You will find the bulk of the money never went where it was supposed to. And so when the PPP and some of their friends are going to sugar workers and crying out ‘we sorry for you, we sorry for you,’ and so on, they should explain what it is that they did with all this money.”
Specifically, Harmon said, the PPP should be made to answer why it is that the state-owned industry is producing sugar higher than the world market price.
“This is not something that could have happened overnight. It did not start in 2015 (when we entered office). These were noted trends that happened along the way.
“And so when we came into office, the decisions that the PPP government were afraid to take, we took those decisions for the interest of the industry and the people of the country.”
The Minister said that the Coalition Government is attempting to save it.
“The PPP, they were on a path of killing it and this is what I want to say, that we are working in the interest of the people in the sugar industry and that we are working in the interest to ensure that there is still a sugar industry going forward in Guyana…albeit in a different stage.”
GuySuCo has more than $75B in debts and was forced to close the US$200M Skeldon factory for the first crop after technical problems surfaced.Annual production is expected to be low again this year.Jagdeo, who ended his two constitutional terms in 2011, had insisted that the Skeldon project was the answer for the industry.EU officials last week said that the disbursements were never based on how much sugar was produced, but rather, on indicators measuring reforms, which Guyana passed.
Guyana was among more than 18 countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Kitts and Nevis, that benefitted from the Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol countries (AMSP) to support a number of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries that were adjusting to the 2006 reform of the EU’s sugar regime.

Silent: The Wales estate river front operations are now silent.

That year saw the implementation of a devastating 36 percent phased price cut for countries that sold sugar to the EU.There have been several protests, organized by the Opposition-aligned unions in recent weeks, over the closure of estates.Government insists that it cannot continue to spend billions of dollars annually to bail the industry out.

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Django posted:

Jul 02, 2017   Source

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should come out and explain to sugar workers what it did with more than $348B in European Union (EU) funding it received between 2006-2013.
The amount of money disbursed by the European Union was announced last week by EU ambassador, Jernej Videtic, who also said it is unlikely at this time that the bloc would consider more support for the troubled industry.

 

This is an enormous amount of money that the EU gave to Guyana to help the sugar industry. The PPP should explain what they did with this money since it's obvious that it wasn't put into sugar. The PPP destroyed the sugar industry while all this money disappeared.

Mars
Mars posted:
Django posted:

Jul 02, 2017   Source

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should come out and explain to sugar workers what it did with more than $348B in European Union (EU) funding it received between 2006-2013.
The amount of money disbursed by the European Union was announced last week by EU ambassador, Jernej Videtic, who also said it is unlikely at this time that the bloc would consider more support for the troubled industry.

 

This is an enormous amount of money that the EU gave to Guyana to help the sugar industry. The PPP should explain what they did with this money since it's obvious that it wasn't put into sugar. The PPP destroyed the sugar industry while all this money disappeared.

They paid off much of skeldon factory loans and subsidised guysuco for 7 years, clearly a waste of the money.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability. 

FM
Drugb posted:
Mars posted:
Django posted:

Jul 02, 2017   Source

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should come out and explain to sugar workers what it did with more than $348B in European Union (EU) funding it received between 2006-2013.
The amount of money disbursed by the European Union was announced last week by EU ambassador, Jernej Videtic, who also said it is unlikely at this time that the bloc would consider more support for the troubled industry.

 

This is an enormous amount of money that the EU gave to Guyana to help the sugar industry. The PPP should explain what they did with this money since it's obvious that it wasn't put into sugar. The PPP destroyed the sugar industry while all this money disappeared.

They paid off much of skeldon factory loans and subsidised guysuco for 7 years, clearly a waste of the money.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability. 

No, they did not pay off the Skeldon loan with this money. We're still paying for Skeldon. US$280 million wasted by Jagdeo and his band of crooks on that piece of Chinese junk. We're talking about US$1.75 Billion. What happened to all that money? It surely never went to Guysuco. They could have bought 8 brand new factories with that money. Closing some unprofitable estates is a part of the plan to make the industry profitable after the PPP handed it over on its death bed. The PPP had also planned to close some of the unprofitable estates before they were kicked out.

Mars
Last edited by Mars
Drugb posted:
Mars posted:
Django posted:

Jul 02, 2017   Source

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should come out and explain to sugar workers what it did with more than $348B in European Union (EU) funding it received between 2006-2013.
The amount of money disbursed by the European Union was announced last week by EU ambassador, Jernej Videtic, who also said it is unlikely at this time that the bloc would consider more support for the troubled industry.

 

This is an enormous amount of money that the EU gave to Guyana to help the sugar industry. The PPP should explain what they did with this money since it's obvious that it wasn't put into sugar. The PPP destroyed the sugar industry while all this money disappeared.

They paid off much of skeldon factory loans and subsidised guysuco for 7 years, clearly a waste of the money.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability. 

Me thinks is restructuring and not closing.

Did you see otherwise ?? or just bashing without using your noodle ??

Django
Drugb posted:
.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability. 

In fact the coalition government promised to establish a commission to determine how the industry might be saved. They did NOT promise that it would be expanded or maintained in its present form.

Well that commission finished its report and determined that because Guyana's industry is uncompetitive that the industry needs to be shrunk and certain estates closed down.\

In fact the PPPs plan was to shut down the industry in Demerara, and focus production in Berbice, using a new Skeldon factory as an anchor.  That was supposed to reduce production costs to levels that would allow Guyana to compete at global prices, then 14c/lb.  These prices are now higher but yet the industry remains uncompetitive and in fact the "new" Skeldon factory has led to costs SOARING.

The PPP made a mess and need to sit down and shut up, as clearly they have no constructive ideas. An unending subsidy of sugar (which they didn't want to do for bauxite) is unsustainable for a poor country.  In fact St Kitts continued its sugar longer than they should have and ended up being one of the most indebted nations in the world.

The PPP would have Guyana reach levels of soaring levels  indebtedness to prop up sugar and then they will wail about how "de PNC run up de national debt!".

I would expect the PPP to focus on ensuring that a sensible transition plane was developed for the workers, especially in Demerara where the estates are especially unprofitable, based on a prior PPP analysis.  Why not sell Uitvlugt to DDL so that they can source material for their operations from nearby, instead of having to truck all the way from Berbice?  

Guyana has a food import bill.  Why not transition those sugar workers who are willing into viable farmers with lease to own land settlement schemes and then provide incentives for private companies to become more involved in food processing, so as to guarantee markets.

The PPP would instead have Guyana import fruit juices from Barbados, which buy their concentrates from Brazil.

This is purely about race. Bauxite was about blacks and so subsidies had to end and to hell with the consequences for the workers, but sugar. Oh no. The ENTIRE nation must foot the bill to guarantee the jobs of 17,000.  The irony is that Guysuco has problems in finding cane cutters, so who really wants these jobs?

FM
Mars posted:
 We're talking about US$1.75 Billion. .

More like US$175 million.  The total expenditures on the program for all 18 ACP nations would have been around the number that you cite.

The issue is that the PPP claims that they only received US$6million, which is laughable, because Jagdeo was screaming, ranting and raging to get every penny from the EU as he was angered by the 36% price cut.  

FM
caribny posted:
Drugb posted:
.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability.  

Guyana has a food import bill.  Why not transition those sugar workers who are willing into viable farmers with lease to own land settlement schemes and then provide incentives for private companies to become more involved in food processing, so as to guarantee markets.

The PPP would instead have Guyana import fruit juices from Barbados, which buy their concentrates from Brazil.

This is purely about race. Bauxite was about blacks and so subsidies had to end and to hell with the consequences for the workers, but sugar. Oh no. The ENTIRE nation must foot the bill to guarantee the jobs of 17,000.  The irony is that Guysuco has problems in finding cane cutters, so who really wants these jobs?

Guyana have potential in agriculture and can produce quality food,time to cut back on Rice and Sugar which are produced above competitive market prices,diversification is the game,focus on other agricultural products.

Screw the naysayers.

Django
Django posted:
.
 

Guyana have potential in agriculture and can produce quality food,time to cut back on Rice and Sugar which are produced above competitive market prices,diversification is the game,focus on other agricultural products.

Screw the naysayers.

Cocoa farmers in Trinidad, Grenada, St Vincent and St Lucia found themselves in a similar situation where they could no longer compete against giants like Ghana and Ivory Coast.  So they have gone into upscale cocoa/chocolate production under a brand, and at least part of their output now attracts higher prices.

Jagdeo should be examining this instead of wailing "black man a starve ahbe".  Then he would look more leader like and less divisive.

FM

While at it he should change that dutty blue shirt he"s been wearing for nearly a year. He could end up like the redneck who had to have layers of long johns cut off because he never changed them, he'd just cover with a new one so it was getting embedded into his skin..hehee

cain
Django posted:
Drugb posted:
Mars posted:
Django posted:

Jul 02, 2017   Source

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should come out and explain to sugar workers what it did with more than $348B in European Union (EU) funding it received between 2006-2013.
The amount of money disbursed by the European Union was announced last week by EU ambassador, Jernej Videtic, who also said it is unlikely at this time that the bloc would consider more support for the troubled industry.

 

This is an enormous amount of money that the EU gave to Guyana to help the sugar industry. The PPP should explain what they did with this money since it's obvious that it wasn't put into sugar. The PPP destroyed the sugar industry while all this money disappeared.

They paid off much of skeldon factory loans and subsidised guysuco for 7 years, clearly a waste of the money.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability. 

Me thinks is restructuring and not closing.

Did you see otherwise ?? or just bashing without using your noodle ??

He is a dunce. He spent 19 years at the same desk, not a raise nor a promotion. Suddenly he is an expert Business Consultant and he can't even manage a dollar store. Anyway he is a Saka Winki expert.

Mitwah
caribny posted:
Drugb posted:
.  Now the incompetent pnc closing down sugar in Guyana when they promised to bring the industry to profitability. 

In fact the coalition government promised to establish a commission to determine how the industry might be saved. They did NOT promise that it would be expanded or maintained in its present form.

Well that commission finished its report and determined that because Guyana's industry is uncompetitive that the industry needs to be shrunk and certain estates closed down.\

In fact the PPPs plan was to shut down the industry in Demerara, and focus production in Berbice, using a new Skeldon factory as an anchor.  That was supposed to reduce production costs to levels that would allow Guyana to compete at global prices, then 14c/lb.  These prices are now higher but yet the industry remains uncompetitive and in fact the "new" Skeldon factory has led to costs SOARING.

The PPP made a mess and need to sit down and shut up, as clearly they have no constructive ideas. An unending subsidy of sugar (which they didn't want to do for bauxite) is unsustainable for a poor country.  In fact St Kitts continued its sugar longer than they should have and ended up being one of the most indebted nations in the world.

The PPP would have Guyana reach levels of soaring levels  indebtedness to prop up sugar and then they will wail about how "de PNC run up de national debt!".

I would expect the PPP to focus on ensuring that a sensible transition plane was developed for the workers, especially in Demerara where the estates are especially unprofitable, based on a prior PPP analysis.  Why not sell Uitvlugt to DDL so that they can source material for their operations from nearby, instead of having to truck all the way from Berbice?  

Guyana has a food import bill.  Why not transition those sugar workers who are willing into viable farmers with lease to own land settlement schemes and then provide incentives for private companies to become more involved in food processing, so as to guarantee markets.

The PPP would instead have Guyana import fruit juices from Barbados, which buy their concentrates from Brazil.

This is purely about race. Bauxite was about blacks and so subsidies had to end and to hell with the consequences for the workers, but sugar. Oh no. The ENTIRE nation must foot the bill to guarantee the jobs of 17,000.  The irony is that Guysuco has problems in finding cane cutters, so who really wants these jobs?

The PNC while campaining clearly stated that once they reduce ppp thieving that sugar would swing to profitability. The nonsense about a study was after May 2016 when the jackass discovered that they found no evidence of ppp thieving.

FM
Drugb posted:
 

The PNC while campaining clearly stated that once they reduce ppp thieving that sugar would swing to profitability. The nonsense about a study was after May 2016 when the jackass discovered that they found no evidence of ppp thieving.

And by actually implementing the same plan that the PPP would have implemented and that is shutting down unprofitable estates, they hope to salvage at least some of the industry.

Druggie, once you brain becomes clear from the fumes of Jagdeo slop that you ingest continuously even you will admit that Guysuco was going to be shrunk regardless as to which party won. The PPP squandered opportunities to sell it. At this point no one wants to buy that albatross, except for real estate purposes. Even the Indo KKK brigade on GNI have admitted this.

FM

AFTER OVER 2 YEARS WITH FULL TO ALL RECORDS, THESE DUNCES AND THEIR FILTH HEAD GNI SUPPORTERS ASKING FOR INFO. YOU BLOODY DUMB FOOLS, GO LOOK AT THE RECORDS AND YOU TELL US ABOUT THE BILLIONS!!!!

Nehru

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