Persad-Bissessar comes under fire from cane farmers

A press release issued yesterday by the Cane Producers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (CPATT) condemned Persad-Bissessar’s comments on the issue at a political rally on November 11, 2016 and also took her to task for attempting to blame the non-payment of the EU grant to cane farmers on the present Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley.

According to the release, “The Association notes that Mrs Persad- Bissessar failed to adequately address the longstanding issue of utilisation of the EU Grant Funding for the benefit of cane farmers during her five years as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Mrs Persad-Bissessar is fully aware that the Government and the European Delegation have signed an agreement whereby the Cane Farmers were to be the major beneficiary of this grant funding and that the Government’s responsibility is to facilitate implementation of the exit plan.

“Her continued statements regarding this issue are clearly an attempt to divert attention away from the fact that under her administration, hundreds of millions of dollars were collected from the European Commission, and no mechanism was put in place for the Cane Farmers to benefit.” It continued that Persad-Bissessar’s administration, through then Minister of Planning and the Economy, Bhoendradatt Tewarie and then Minister of Food Production, Devant Maharaj, failed to cooperate with the Association to have the Exit Strategy for Cane Farmers implemented.

Additionally, the release complained that the PP attempted to win the general election by paying $27 million as cash to farmers.

The Exit Strategy was approved by the European Union Delegation in 2013, and in 2014, the Delegation committed 16 million Euros to the grant funding.

On Friday November 11, at a political rally in Barrackpore, Persad- Bissessar urged cane farmers to not accept what the People’s National Movement administration is offering them, saying that they would be accepting less than what they are actually entitled to.

She said at the rally, “I tell you do not sign those letters, do not take the less money, go to your lawyer (Gerald) Ramdeen and let us fight them in the court to get the full amount of money that you are due.”