By Leonard GildarieGuyana’s ailing sugar industry, faced with more worries over a 2015 deadline that would see the end of an era of sugar quotas to Europe’s lucrative market, has been given a major boost with news that its quota has been extended to 2020.Last Wednesday’s vote by the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, to extend the sugar quotas will help to ensure fair, stable and reasonable remunerative European Union (EU) sugar market prices to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States.Guyana Ambassador to EU, Patrick GomesIn 2006, EU decided to end the quota system by 2015 as pressure grew by beet and other players in the sweeteners’ industry for a liberalization of the market.Guyana has an annual sugar quota of 190,Wholesale China Jerseys,000 tonnes to the EU,Cheap Jerseys China, a demand that has been hard to meet.According to the ACP Group in a statement,Cheap Jerseys, it has been calling for the long term predictability with continued preference assured to them by tariff barriers and robust mechanism for EU sugar market management.“Several ACP/LDC (least developed countries) suppliers wish to continue to export raw cane sugar for refining. The ACP is therefore also calling for conditions which can support a viable EU sugar refining industry to provide a dedicated entry to the EU market and to maintain a plurality of potential buyers for EPA/EBA sugar.”The ACP Sugar Group said that it recently mounted a strong lobbying action at the political and diplomatic levels and is pleased that the results so far have been positive.Chairman of the ACP Sugar Subcommittee, Guyana’s Ambassador Patrick Gomes, said,China Jerseys Free Shipping, “This is indeed a positive development but we have a long way to go.? I seek the support of the European Parliament and the European Council as the final decision is taken on this critical issue.The Committee reportedly voted 32-11 against the 2015 ending of the quota.There has been anger from the soft drinks and other sweets company in the EU at the decision of the committee to extend the quota system. Reportedly Kraft and other companies like Kellogg and Coca Cola have all been blaming the quota system for high sugar prices there.Sugar prices have risen in the last two years especially with as much ?700 being paid per tonne.There was a sugar supply shortfall of almost three million tonnes last year.Sugar exports had become one of the biggest earners for Guyana but fell over the years as costs mounted,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, the work force dwindled and infrastructure became harder to maintain.A US$200M investment in a brand new factory at Skeldon that was supposed to increase production as part of a larger sugar “turnaround” plan has not worked that well; as there are still a number of issues being corrected at the facility. While it has done better last year, rains and a delay to bring more lands under cultivation too hampered production and this fell way below the projected figures last year.Several estates had also closed as part of a consolidation programme to reduce costs. Large swaths of land were also sold for housing.A US$12M packaging plant at Enmore has also been commissioned to help bring more cash to the industry but the industry has been battling against rains to meet the quota and this has suffered to an extent. Guyana has been hoping to sell more of its packaged sugar within the region.EU has extended the 2015 deadline to end its sugar quota system to 2020.Last December, during a critical meeting of the sugar committee, Guyana’s Foreign Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues, had expressed concern that the EU financial assistance to help sugar-producing countries prepare for the freeing up of the market in 2015 had been scaled down for 2012 and 2013.Following its staggered 38 per cent price cut to the ACP/LDC countries, EU has been assisting Guyana with a number of projects to help reduce the impact of the revenue losses.With the sugar industry employing over 16,000 persons,Cheap Jerseys From China, government has been insisting that it will not turn its back on the industry, despite the hardships.