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Planters claim 20 million euros to survive, the minister visiting Reunion refuses to receive representatives of the sector
Sunday, February 13, 2022, through
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Minister Lecornu arrived this morning in Reunion. While local and national elected officials as well as the Interprofession sent a letter to the President of the Republic on Friday alerting him to the seriousness of the situation and the importance of a strong political commitment from the State, against all odds, Sébastien Lecornu refuses to receive the representatives of the sector. Paris wants to renew in the same way and for only two years the public funds for the cane sector, while just for the planters, survival requires an additional 20 million euros in a sustainable way. Otherwise, “the damage will be stronger than a cyclone”, says the president of the CGPER, Jean-Michel Moutama. He adds that “if we have to take to the streets with our tractors, we are ready”.
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This Sunday in Saint-Leu, the CGPER held a press conference to call for general mobilization in the face of the attitude of the State. Also present was Jean-Bernard Maratchia, elected delegate for Agriculture in the Region.
“The Interprofession, the unions, the presidents of the Department and the Region as well as the parliamentarians and all the mayors sent a letter to the President of the Republic on Friday stressing the seriousness of the situation in the cane industry and the need to a strong political commitment from the State. But the Minister Sébastien Lecornu does not even find an hour in his schedule to discuss with the representatives of the sector, it is inadmissible”, underlines Jean-Michel Moutama, president of the CGPER.
“The damage will be stronger than a cyclone”
If the State persists in its attitude, “the damage will be stronger than a cyclone”, recalls Jean-Michel Moutama, president of the CGPER. Indeed, the sector supports 30,000 people in Reunion, taking into account all suppliers, carriers…
“The profession has put the figures on the table, the 20 million requested by the planters in a sustainable way are necessary for their survival. And without the planters, there is no longer any cane sector”, emphasizes Jean-Michel Moutama. “It is not by renewing the current amounts over 2 years that we will be able to get out of it”, he recalls.
“Rum quotas, customs duties on sugar imported from countries with low labor costs, bagasse revenue from the Energy Regulatory Commission, all of these are decisions that depend on the State. “, specifies the CGPER. For all these requests, everything is therefore in the hands of the State.
“We are preparing the mobilization”
“The State must position itself clearly on these demands, we need a strong political commitment, strong and lasting support from the State for the sector”, continues Jean-Michel Moutama. “If there are no strong decisions from the State in this direction, what are we going to discuss with the industrialists? “, adds the union leader. “We also expect communities to position themselves on the attitude of the minister,” said the president of the CGPER.
For the planters, it is therefore high time that the State truly takes into account the seriousness of the situation and the commitments necessary to deal with it. And all the more so since the decisions depend solely on him on essential points.
“It is out of the question to let things drag on to force us to sign a Sugar Cane Convention under pressure on the eve of the sugar campaign as in 2015. We will not sign the Convention if the State does not give a strong political commitment for the industry”.
“At the CGPER, we are preparing the mobilization. If we have to take to the streets with our tractors, we are ready”, he concludes.
M.M.
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