1 month ago
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Prime Minister John Briceño has slammed comments made by United Democratic Party (UDP) Deputy Leader Hugo Patt during yesterday’s UDP press conference. Briceno describes the remarks as being a clear display of hypocrisy. For context, Patt commented that the start of the sugarcane crop has been pushed back not because farmers or millers are unprepared, but because production has been impacted by fusarium. He further pressed the government to ensure that any funds allocated to the sector are released when farmers actually need the investment, not after the fact, and expressed concern that too much of the money could end up benefiting contractors instead of cane farmers. Patt concluded by urging the administration to take what he called a holistic approach to the crisis rather than what he described as “piecemeal” responses. Responding to these remarks, the Prime Minister said Patt’s statements seem to have ignored the record of the UDP during its years in office when far less was done to strengthen the sugar industry or address the vulnerabilities. Briceño pointed to the present administration’s ongoing investments in disease response, cane field rehabilitation, infrastructure improvements, and targeted financial assistance to farmers as evidence of a proactive, coordinated strategy.
John Briceño, Prime Minister: “ I find it quite strange and kind of disappointing. When we had a drought, one of the worst droughts in history in the North, while he was minister of natural resources and environment, they promised that they were going to help the farmers and they did nothing. When it came to attention about the fusarium fungus disease that’s affecting the North, minister Mai back then as a minister of agriculture immediately jump into action, started to see how it is that we could address this issue and a few months ago then we decided that we have to put some money I think we passed about two million dollars to be able to start the spraying of these fields and I have good news it is showing that what we did has helped and now we expect that the crop this year is going to be better than last year not good but better than last year.”
According to Prime Minister Briceno, the very approach that the opposition is now demanding is what it had failed to implement for the 13 years they were in office.
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