AN INDEPENDENT SENATOR yesterday questioned the continued use of mechanical harvesters to reap sugar cane, and suggested Barbados instead source people from overseas to cut the crop.
John Watson was making his contribution to a resolution to approve the guarantee by the Minister of Finance of the payment of principal and interest in respect of a $73 million bond to help finance the Barbados Agricultural Management Company.
He queried the amount of loss incurred from damage to the fields after using the harvesters.
“I said in here before, I see nothing wrong with importing labour. Every country, at one time or another, when they have industries that need low-level labour, usually have to import that labour. Barbadians leave Barbados and go and pick fruit. We used to go and drive buses . . . . ”. (SDB Media)
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