At this morning’s press conference the Prime Minister presented the Government’s position on the ongoing dispute within the sugar industry.
RT. HON. DEAN BARROW
“We are convinced and as a lawyer, I am entirely satisfied that there is every basis for our conviction. We are convinced that the farmers have a case. We look at the provision in the memorandum of understanding that talks about the sharing of revenue arising from the sale of any byproduct will be subject to future discussions and sharing of the revenue will be based on the result of those discussions and in our view that clearly contemplates some form of compensation to farmers for the bagasse. The argument that the bagasse is waste and is not a byproduct in our minds cannot stand. Apart from general common sense, apart from trying to do an exegesis, admittedly the formulation is less than complete, less than clear, is subject to argument but doing the best that I can, in terms of my experience as a lawyer and my knowledge on how you read language and texts, I am convinced, as is the rest of my Cabinet, that this contemplates that when, as has now happened, the sugar industry is able to make use of what formally was treated solely as waste to generate fuel and bagasse can be used for other things, I’ve seen, and when that happens you cannot say that the bagasse is not a byproduct. To me, it doesn’t hold water for that argument to be made. So, we are absolutely positive that the farmers have a case and that that case needs to be addressed. Now we part ways with the farmers, in terms of the manner in which it seems they are determined to make their point and to press their case. We cannot consider it helpful for the industry, for the economy in the north and for the country for there to be this talk about strike and non-commencement of the crop; that will hurt all of us but it will hurt most the very farmers that are being encouraged not to deliver.”
The Prime Minister says he hopes to meet with cane farmers shortly.
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