Our agricultural sector must be safeguarded

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

AMBASSADOR DERICK Heaven, executive chairman of the Sugar Industry Authority, has charged other agricultural sector leaders to stand up for their rights instead of allowing others to misrepresent their interests, as has been happening over the years. He charged that for too long, farmers and farmer organisations have been silent on issues that affect their livelihood to their own demise.

"We have allowed ourselves to be marginalised by people who trumpet that they are the productive sector, armed as they are with screwdrivers. The fact is that we have been marginalised by persons who, if we are not careful, the new tax regime - which is a critically important issue that we now face - is going to be hijacked," he told the recent launch of the Jamaica Agriculture Society (JAS) Chamber.

"We are rural based and in rural Jamaica, most of our efforts represent activity, and so I think to everybody who has to make decisions that impact us, we need to constantly remind them of our importance," he said to applause from a strong representation of major players in the agricultural sector. Heaven's statements resonated with the group, which is an umbrella lobby for commodity boards and other agricultural groups.

Heaven asked his colleagues to bring themselves up to speed on the Green Paper on tax reform, which was tabled last year, in order to identify and challenge any potentially harmful aspects.

Christopher Levy, president and chief executive of the Jamaica Broilers Group, has been vocal in his efforts to highlight the devastating implications of the document if implemented in its current state. These include a proposal for a reduction in the common external tariff and implementation of Customs fees at the ports, which, according to Levy would lead to destruction of the agricultural industry.

"Haiti had a vibrant agricultural industry and was self-sufficient in rice. In around 1986-87, when duties were reduced to 20 per cent across the board, within two years, the agriculture industry ended. It's a challenge, but we have the responsibility to protect and defend ourselves," he told a post-budget forum in May.

Heaven echoed this warning: "I do not know how many of us in this room understand that new regime. The potential is to do us injustice, and so we need to stay together, to represent our industry collectively, to make sure that it gets the attention it deserves because we tend to be marginalised by people who don't understand agriculture or don't even understand rural life."

Afterwards, JAS first vice-president, Senator Norman Grant, told the group that he, along with president, Glendon Harris, and Grethel Sessing, president of the All-Island Banana Growers' Association, in discussions with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) tax reform group committee, had done a good job of representing their individual and collective interests.

"We made it very clear that the critical areas that need support within the agricultural sector must be safeguarded, and that is where our position stands as it is now," he shared.

Meanwhile, Allan Rickards, chairman of the All- Island Jamaica Cane Farmers' Association, told his colleagues that speed was of the essence in getting their act together and becoming a force to be reckoned with by the society.

"We need to position ourselves as the agricultural sector equivalent of the JMA, and the Chamber of Commerce, and the press. And they have a way, when they talk about civil society, they don't talk about us.

"You ever open a Gleaner and see a reaction or an opinion from civil society that has come from leadership within the agricultural sector? When them talk about anything under the sun, them talk to PSOJ, Chamber of Commerce, etc, so we have time to make up, and this meeting is ceremonial, but I expect, Sir, that the next meeting will be short and will be a working meeting."