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FM
Former Member

The Skeldon Sugar Estate has been the main source of income in the Upper Corentyne area but since its closure in 2017, the livelihoods of the sacked workers and their families have fallen apart.

The closed sugar estate
The closed sugar estate
A frustrated resident speaks to Guyana Times

A recent visit to Skeldon proved that families are still trying to make ends meet as they shared their sentiments on the effect the closure has had on them.
A market vendor disclosed that she has not made a profit from her vegetables because people in the area cannot afford to purchase those items.
“All my customers are out of a job, because of the closure of the Skeldon Estate and my products goes to waste”, the vendor explained. She added that the fishermen are keeping the area alive but a lot of people remain unemployed.
A known businessman of the Skeldon area also expressed similar sentiments. “This estate has affected everyone, it is not easy to have employees on your payroll when your profit is so little, it is only me and my wife to run our business”, the businessman stated.
Operating his business at a loss, the businessman told Guyana Times that he is considering closing down his business since it is slowly dying in a dying Skeldon area.
A group of pensioners took some time to share their views on this issue and they also related the hardships they face on a daily basis.
“I am a pensioner and this issue not only affecting me but the smallest school child, books are so expensive these days”, one pensioner disclosed. His colleague, who was also discreet in giving name and designations, shared similar views.
“Imagine this present Government has members who grow up in Berbice and they are not doing enough for us, how can they take away we income?” he asked.
Most of the respondents who shared their views on this issue were totally disappointed in the state of the Skeldon/Corriverton area.
Members of the community stated that Corriverton was one of the brightest areas, the markets, roadways and supermarkets used to be filled.
Things have changed since the main source of income has been taken away. The market vendors continue to cry as well as businessmen and young unemployed individuals.
A father of three also explained how he has been hurting since he has been out of employment since the closure of the sugar estate. “I took a work pulling lumber and only $4000 I gaining, this cannot do to feed my children on a weekly basis”, the father explained.
Meanwhile, an elderly citizen explained that this issue should not be of race, but of economics. Taking away the sugar estate from Skeldon has not done any good for anyone in the Skeldon area. “If the estate is closed, a replacement institute should have been in place for all those unemployed and broke workers”, he stated.
Another businessman at the upper-part of Skeldon, asked how things will get better, and how the money will circulate if the main income has been taken away. The money is simply not circulating and business has been on the lower side of things in the area. This estate has left many unemployed, people from the Skeldon area onto Eversham have suffered the consequences of the closure of the sugar estate.
Members of the Skeldon area are calling for a better standard of living, reopening of the sugar estate and for employment to all. Unemployed youngsters have been involved in crime and it is not doing the community any good.

 

https://guyanatimesgy.com/skel...ure-of-sugar-estate/

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The estates need to be reopened and get totally diversified away from both sugar and limit their agriculture to only crops that have international markets. Make the estates science research and business development parks.

Prashad
Prashad posted:

The estates need to be reopened and get totally diversified away from both sugar and limit their agriculture to only crops that have international markets. Make the estates science research and business development parks.

Research what? How can you do research when you don't have a stable power supply?

FM

When Linden and other bauxite areas suffered when the vast majority of bauxite workers lost their jobs did you care?  No you didn't. Maybe you even screamed "black man lazy and ungrateful".

What goes around comes around. Why scream when sugar workers get the same treatment as the bauxite workers did?

FM

If these canecutters had been cutting cane instead of hanging round in the rumshop and coming in to work drunk, the estate would have been profitable. The workers got what they deserved. They wanted more pay for less work. This is pay back.

Mr.T

Earlier this week Ramjattan was shamelessly blaming the retrenched sugar workers for why house to house wasn’t done earlier. He told the people of Berbice that they had to use the money to pay sugar workers severance pay instead. Maybe he thought telling them that will cause them to see the Coalition as a savior but he may have done quite the opposite of opening that door that the Coalition cannot hide from. I am guessing that a PNC idiot wrote Ramjattan’s talking points as there is no way Ramjattan is that foolish.

FM
caribny posted:

When Linden and other bauxite areas suffered when the vast majority of bauxite workers lost their jobs did you care?  No you didn't. Maybe you even screamed "black man lazy and ungrateful".

What goes around comes around. Why scream when sugar workers get the same treatment as the bauxite workers did?

I have to say this unreservedly, you are a real jackass. All that griping about racism means little if you cannot view current realities as they exist and suggest solutions to match them without always reflecting on sacred victimization. Those suffering people did not abuse Lindeners and who did that ought to be shown better management principles for dealing with dislocated workers.

FM
Mr.T posted:

If these canecutters had been cutting cane instead of hanging round in the rumshop and coming in to work drunk, the estate would have been profitable. The workers got what they deserved. They wanted more pay for less work. This is pay back.

the industry failed because as Professor David G. Victor noted, Democratic institutions are weak and governments are corrupt. Compound that with our ethnic problems and the state mismanage everything....not one successful industry since the founding of the state. It is not about these people and their flaws.

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Stormborn posted:
 

I have to say this unreservedly, you are a real jackass. All that griping about racism means little if you cannot view current realities as they exist and suggest solutions to match them without always reflecting on sacred victimization. Those suffering people did not abuse Lindeners and who did that ought to be shown better management principles for dealing with dislocated workers.

Yes I agree with you.  Indians are a superior race whose needs have to be catered to. Who the hell cares if black people starve!

The same forces that led to the abuse of bauxite workers now resulted in the abuse of sugar workers.  When people spoke of the bauxite workers we were called anti Indian trouble makers.  Well the shoe fell on the other foot now, so why the screams.

 

FM
Last edited by Former Member
caribny posted:
Stormborn posted:
 

I have to say this unreservedly, you are a real jackass. All that griping about racism means little if you cannot view current realities as they exist and suggest solutions to match them without always reflecting on sacred victimization. Those suffering people did not abuse Lindeners and who did that ought to be shown better management principles for dealing with dislocated workers.

Yes I agree with you.  Indians are a superior race whose needs have to be catered to. Who the hell cares if black people starve!

The same forces that led to the abuse of bauxite workers now resulted in the abuse of sugar workers.  When people spoke of the bauxite workers we were called anti Indian trouble makers.  Well the shoe fell on the other foot now, so why the screams.

 

Where is that said suggested or implied other than by you? The idea that everyone took for granted the failure of GUYMINE and the resultant dislocations is bull crap. You cannot by default conclude that is the case and and then  infer these present workers are to be neglected. It is the kind of twisted argumentation Trump makes on the campaign " They hate us so we should hate them" . It is de facto racist, nonintellectual, backward and non productive. We must complain about the failure to support dislocated workers any place. 

FM
skeldon_man posted:
Prashad posted:

The estates need to be reopened and get totally diversified away from both sugar and limit their agriculture to only crops that have international markets. Make the estates science research and business development parks.

Research what? How can you do research when you don't have a stable power supply?

Guyana needs a milk powder factory, a workable substitute found in Guyana for limestone so that the country can make its own cement, more housing construction workers need to be trained, the country needs to develop its own sinks and indoor toilet manufacture. The development of rice flour as a working flour that can open up a new local market for rice farmers. These are some areas. A solar and wind power supply can be an area to be researched also.

Prashad
Last edited by Prashad
Prashad posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Prashad posted:

The estates need to be reopened and get totally diversified away from both sugar and limit their agriculture to only crops that have international markets. Make the estates science research and business development parks.

Research what? How can you do research when you don't have a stable power supply?

Guyana needs a milk powder factory, a workable substitute found in Guyana for limestone so that the country can make its own cement, more housing construction workers need to be trained, the country needs to develop its own sinks and indoor toilet manufacture. The development of rice flour as a working flour that can open up a new local market for rice farmers. These are some areas. A solar and wind power supply can be an area to be researched also.

Good ideas. Send them to the big boys in Guyana.

FM
Leonora posted:
Prashad posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Prashad posted:

The estates need to be reopened and get totally diversified away from both sugar and limit their agriculture to only crops that have international markets. Make the estates science research and business development parks.

Research what? How can you do research when you don't have a stable power supply?

Guyana needs a milk powder factory, a workable substitute found in Guyana for limestone so that the country can make its own cement, more housing construction workers need to be trained, the country needs to develop its own sinks and indoor toilet manufacture. The development of rice flour as a working flour that can open up a new local market for rice farmers. These are some areas. A solar and wind power supply can be an area to be researched also.

Good ideas. Send them to the big boys in Guyana.

Gyal, nobody in Guyana nah care fuh any ideas. Dem all sitting and waiting fuh Guyana to ejaculate ile.  Den de whole country will have wan huge orgasm.  What they should ensure is that Guyana gat lots a cigarettes for dat huge orgasm. Light cigarettes afta Guyana ejaculates all dat ile and de whole damn country goes up in smoke. 

FM
Prashad posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Prashad posted:

The estates need to be reopened and get totally diversified away from both sugar and limit their agriculture to only crops that have international markets. Make the estates science research and business development parks.

Research what? How can you do research when you don't have a stable power supply?

Guyana needs a milk powder factory, a workable substitute found in Guyana for limestone so that the country can make its own cement, more housing construction workers need to be trained, the country needs to develop its own sinks and indoor toilet manufacture. The development of rice flour as a working flour that can open up a new local market for rice farmers. These are some areas. A solar and wind power supply can be an area to be researched also.

 A powdered milk factory is easy to set up. It would also allow for a new industry to come on line. Our lack of consistent electricity may be the case this has not happened but in Skeldon; there is capacity but it  can not be used by the grid. There is a 10 Megawatt wind mill that a fellow built with loans from India but he cannot get the government to tie his system to the grid. He said he was being forced to dismantle and ship it back to India.

Limestone could be sourced from Jamaica. They have lots and are not using it. We have old mountains from the pre Cretaceous period ( some of the oldest on the planet and these are uplifts from ancient oceans so they will contain limestone. However, it would be easier to bring it in wit barges. 

There are many packing plants for rice. I am sure the can retrofit a milling system to produce rice flour among other products. The Chinese are masters of producing hundreds of byproducts from rice. 

 

 

FM
Last edited by Former Member

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