A CALL BY AN independent senator to import labourers to cut canes has led to claims of him being out of touch with the state of the industry.
Online readers say Senator John Watson seems unaware of the fact that sugar is dead and many grounds lie fallow, are overrun by cow itch or have been converted to housing.
Watson was at the time querying the amount of losses suffered through the use of mechanical harvesters, while imported labour would stimulate the economy in other ways.
Readers called for diversification of the agricultural industry and more emphasis on planting of the nation’s food.
Melchezidek Grandison: I absolutely disagree! Whatever little gains for Barbados economically will be wiped out by external factors. Labourers from other countries tend to buy US dollars and remit it to their country. Labourers have a propensity to get in problems with the law. Labourers tend to have unprotected sex and not care for their children. Labourers tend to not get married. Labourers tend to be a burden on the social services in their host country.
Erica Murray: I can’t agree more. However, Barbados should employ as many Barbadians who are willing to harvest the cane at a decent pay, before going outside. Even though they/Bajans have become so afraid of hard work.
Caleb Watson: Beet sugar has replaced sugar cane. Barbados needs to diversify its agriculture sector and reduce its agriculture imports. Sugar cane is dead and it is not going to be resurrected.
Epaphras D. Williams: Good idea. The harvester wrecked the crop, wrecked the grounds, spread the cow itch vine and put hundreds of people out of work. The desire to align sugar cane with slavery is unfortunate. Take a walk through history and learn of the mines of various metals and stones which slave labour procured. I am sure South Africa will not abandon gold production on account of slavery or apartheid, but post-modern Barbados is awaiting its own post-mortem.
Adrian Allison: I have absolutely no problem in importing labour for certain jobs that Bajans don’t want to do, but when it comes to the sugar industry, I think this suggestion is one of the most ridiculous that I’ve heard in some time. Unless we get out of the business of exporting raw sugar, then this will be just throwing more money behind an industry that is already so heavily subsidised by the taxpayers and is unprofitable as we are currently producing it.
Veronica Straker: Does this man live in Barbados? The sugar crop can be finished in three weeks flat but they prolong it to look industrious.
Pam Fazio: They want to hand cut it? Put the prisoners at Dodds to work.
David Ross: Some still mentally enslaved. The cane industry symbolises our inability to progress.
Dennis Taitt: Let the owners cut them. Slavery done. Straight talk.
• Sherrylyn Toppin is The Nation’s Online Editor.