By Leonardo Blair, Staff ReporterJAMAICA IS expected today to join the rest of the Caribbean in street protests against European Union (EU) proposals to drastically slash the prices it offers to the region's sugar producers.
Less than two weeks ago Guyanese officials, including Foreign Trade and International Co-operation Minister Clement Rhoee, banded together to protest against the proposals at the EU office in that country.
"We will be at the British High Commission at 1 p.m. We don't expect everything will change overnight, but we are going to demonstrate peacefully to let them know that their actions are not in the interest of Jamaica. We need more than the three years to adjust, we should be given at least 10 years," argued Vincent Morrison, Island Supervisor of the National Workers Union (NWU), one of the unions co-ordinating bands of protest.
PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Foreign Trade K.D. Knight is also expected to make a statement on the situation at a press conference to be held at his offices in New Kingston today.
"It is important that all the stakeholders in the industry express their views by any legitimate means necessary. The unions, the government, the farmers, everybody," said Dr. Richard Bernal, Director-General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery.
An estimated 40,000 people are directly employed by the local sugar industry and thousands more across the island are said to be indirectly dependent.
TWENTY PER CENT SLASH
The European Union says it would be reducing the price paid to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states for sugar sold on the European market. The European Commission noted that from 2005 to 2006, ACP sugar producers would be paid 506 euros per ton, down 20 per cent from this year's 632 euros per ton.
For 2006/2007 there will be no adjustment, while for 2007/2008 there will be a further 16 per cent reduction, which would see the price paid for sugar move from 506 euros per ton to 421 euros.
As part of the new proposal that was presented to the European Parliament, ACP countries will retain their preferential access quotas.
Last month, however, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government rejected the proposal which they said would result in a 37 per cent reduction in the guaranteed price for sugar supplied under the ACP-EU Sugar Protocol.
CARICOM Heads characterised the proposal as a betrayal of the commitments and guarantees given by the EU at the time of the negotiation of the protocol in 1975.
