Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
– Hymn 27 verse 1, Ancient and Modern
ARE WE GOING TO HAVE a sugar crop in Barbados this year? I doubt very much because from what I can see, there are no signs to convince me that we will have one. We have not even heard anything about the starting date.
In a previous article, I wrote that agriculture (sugar) was in the intensive care unit, but since then there has been no improvement. It is now in a very serious “coma” and it looks as though it will not recover.
We can begin to prepare for the funeral because death is definitely on. Very few plantations are preparing to reap the 2015 sugar crop at this time because of a money problem.
The signs of harvest preparation are not there. I do not see any vehicles on our roads going to the Ministry of Transport and Works to be inspected in preparation for the crop. In the past, one would have known that harvest time was approaching because of the vehicles going and coming from inspection.
As a result of the state of the sugar industry, we have lost some very good planters like Michael Eastmond from CLICO Group, Desmond Cumberbatch from Society Plantation and it looks like we will soon lose Ernest Craig from Easy Hall Plantation. As a result, our plantations are closed and the workers are on unemployment benefits.
We must remember that when it comes to agriculture, one just cannot fool around. Things that have to be done in that sector must be done at the right time.
Even at this late moment, I am calling on those who can help agriculture, to do so for although it is in a coma it may rebound.
For too long, we are getting promise after promise. We need action rather than promises.
