BUSTAMANTE INDUSTRIAL Trade Union (BITU) vice-president Pearnel Charles has accused the Government of seeking "political headlines" from its announcement of plans for a technical group to study the sugar industry and make recommendations for its future.
Mr. Charles, who is the union's spokesman on the agricultural sector, says that there was no need for another study of the sector: "All it needs is intelligent government to implement one of the workable sets of recommendations which have been made by several study groups over the past three decades," he said.
He said that the alternatives to sugar could only be approached on two bases: one, a short-term programme involving mechanisation; and two, a long-term programme to replace it with an alternative product which can generate more employment and contribute to economic growth.
Mr. Charles was responding last Friday to a statement from Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke, contained in a Jamaica Information Service release.
The statement said that in determining the future of the sector, factors such as investment and the number and categories of workers that the sector employs must be considered.
Mr. Clarke said that the question of alternative use of cane lands must also be addressed, as there were lands currently in cane which were not suitable for other crops.
The Minister also referred to the fact that the Prime Minister has appointed a Technical Group of Public Officers to carry out a definitive study of the industry and make recommendations on its future. He said that the group would have to formulate a strategy to revive the industry.
There has been some concern about the timetable for the Technical Group and its co-ordinator, though. In his statement on January 4, Mr. Patterson said that the group would be led by a technical co-ordinator whose appointment would be announced after the Cabinet meeting on Monday, although the Group is scheduled to its send findings to a Cabinet sub-committee which is to meet on January 22.
