Sugar in crisis ‘bad news’ but not surprising, Urling says

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Clinton Urling has described last week’s disclosure by President Donald Ramotar that the sugar industry was in crisis as “very bad” but “not entirely surprising” news.

“Perhaps the best thing about the announcement is that it gets the politicking about the sugar industry out of the way and creates an environment in which we may be able to talk about what we need to do about sugar,” Urling said.

Asked whether the Chamber intended to respond to the President’s disclosure that government was open to suggestions regarding the way forward for the industry, Urling said that while the Chamber recognised that there were other “more informed stakeholders” on the industry, it would shortly convene “an emergency meeting” of its Trade and Investment Committee. This would be done with a view to studying the full implications of the development and contributing as far as it can to a national determination as to where the industry goes from here.