PM Briceño Announces $122M Sugar Industry Upgrade

Prime Minister John Briceño insists sugarcane farmers aren’t being left behind. He says Cabinet has signed off on a massive hundred-and-twenty-two million investment to modernize the industry, paving sugar roads, improving harvesting, and streamlining financial services, among other upgrades. But Opposition Leader Tracy Panton isn’t buying it, arguing farmers have only been fed empty promises so far.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“But I think it is important to note that we are also assisting the farmers. Under the former Minister of Agriculture, minister Mai, they came up with a commission of inquiry that was done through my office. Based on the commission of inquiry report, probably around February of this year I had a meeting along with Dr. Avila, along with members of all four associations, and also the officials form the ministry of agriculture and my aim was for them to take a look at the recommendations and come up with a workable plan to modernize the industry and ensure that our farmers and BSI could remain viable and profitable. And so, based on my instructions to them and after several months of discussion, we presented a paper to Cabinet and they were proposing a total of a one hundred and twenty-two million dollars’ worth of assistance that needs to be made available to the industry.”

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“Where is the corresponding benefits for the farmers/ Promises, promises, empty promises is what the farmers continue to receive. We just heard the prime minister offer a number of initiatives that this administration is working on but not delivering for the farmers. If the government is giving a decade long tax holiday to large private entities, where is the matching relief for the cane farmers?”