Panday tells cane farmers: Fight Govt

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday told sugar workers and cane farmers to battle the government’s political agenda for the sugar cane industry when he addressed a public meeting organised by the Cane Farmers Producers Associations of TT (CFATT) Wednesday at Scale Road Junction, Barrackpore.

Panday told the sugar workers to stop talking and take action: “The government’s agenda on Caroni 1975 Limited is a political one. Their plan was not to shut down operations at Caroni, but to diversify the company. They are trying to wipe cane farmers out of the landscape of this country. “Rahael wants to take Caroni lands to make malls, they are doing it right next to the Technical Institute.” Panday said government does not have the infrastructure to pay cane farmers by the sucrose content of the sugar cane they sold. “Why should cane farmers be subjected to fluctuating cane prices? The price of sugar is based on quality but the cost of production remains fixed,” he said, adding that this is the first sign of government’s discrimination against cane farmers.

Panday called on everyone affected by government’s policy on Caroni to assemble themselves in their cars, tractors, bull carts, trailers and block Port- of-Spain to get the attention of Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Agriculture Minister John Rahael. He advised the farmers to start for weekly protest action until government addresses the problem. “I will not go with my car I will climb on a tractor with you and go into Port-of-Spain. This is the only way they will hear us and recognise us in this struggle. We must unite my brothers and sisters and only then we could win this battle!” he declared.