The agriculture conundrum

AS I PROCEED to comment on the disastrous fate of Caroni (1975) Ltd and its employees and the detrimental consequences for the diversification of the agricultural sector, I do so at the risk of being further accused of engaging in race rhetoric by Kevin Baldeosingh, self-acclaimed writer, incisive rational thinker, learned columnist and indefatigable crusader against religion, feminism, socialism and other perceived socially dysfunctional distractions .

All stakeholders, whether political directorate, Caroni’s management or workers’ representatives, must share the blame in varying degrees for the eventual liquidation of this the major agricultural enterprise in the country and the summary disbandment of its workforce .

Today there is much specious advocacy for attention to be paid to agricultural development as an area that can assist in the diversification of the economy. Many of these voices, however, were silent when the potential of Caroni (1975) Ltd as a catalyst in the agricultural diversification thrust was being destroyed with the diminution of its resources of land, labour and agricultural expertise. It was a lost opportunity never to be regained .

Space does not permit a full review .

However, the inaction of the Panday administration to embark upon any initiative to restructure the sugar industry and promote expansion of the non-sugar agricultural sector was notable, in light of the heavy obligation placed on it to secure the workers’ future through one avenue or another .

A constructive, economically feasible and humane approach to the revamping of Caroni (1975) Ltd’s operations and its role in the diversification of the agricultural sector had been discussed for years within the bureaucracy and among interested parties .

Some consensus had been arrived at on what needed to be done in the short to medium term. No administration, however, had either the inclination or the will to pursue a reform strategy with effective and results-oriented plans and programmes .

One element of the strategy was to reorganise sugar cultivation and processing operations to render sugar production more economically viable and reduce dependence on State support. The idea was not to liquidate the sugar industry but to make it leaner and more cost-efficient .

Even today, Jamaica and Barbados continue to have sugar industries in operation but on a somewhat reduced scale and with State support .

Such efficiency was to be achieved by rationalisation and technological upgrade of production processes, greater mechanisation of field activities, transfer of more of the cane-growing function to cane farmers and implementation of mechanisms to minimise corruption and promote general efficiency and productivity .

The sugar union, however, had a fixed position and refused to look at the larger picture facing the industry .

It held the view that all that was necessary to make Caroni’s operations viable was merely to eliminate corruption at the management level .

Another and equally important element of the strategy involved the measured release of the resources of land and labour to be effected over a six to seven-year period for redeployment in non-sugar agricultural endeavours through investment in the necessary infrastructure and the involvement of private-sector interests .

There was much to learn from the previous tentative efforts of Caroni (1975) Ltd to engage in viable non-sugar agriculture-related activities and the reasons for their lack of success. Since over time some workers would inevitably be displaced, the most critical issue was how this displacement would be managed to minimise uncertainty and loss of earnings .

Outright retrenchment and payment of severance benefits was an option but was dismissed out of hand as it would not secure the long-term future of the displaced sugar workers .

To effect a soft landing, the displacement would be staggered over a number of years during which new agricultural enterprises would be developed to provide opportunities for continued employment with State support for retraining and skills upgrade .