It’s now official, government is divesting the Barbados Agricultural Management Company, BAMC, and severing all its staff.

All employees of the BAMC have been written formally informing them of the plan which government makes clear is part of its obligations under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation or BERT plan.

The correspondence under the signature of BAMC Chief Executive Officer, Orlando Atherly, states that under the BERT plan the government of Barbados is committed to restructuring several state-owned enterprises including BAMC.

The letter says the company is divesting its agricultural and factory operations to private entities.

BAMC employees will be shareholders in the new company.

Meanwhile the operations of agriculture and sugar manufacturing will be separately managed.

The letter adds that as a result of the restructuring, all employees will be made redundant.

BAMC currently manages the Portvale sugar factory and the state-owned agricultural lands that supply it with sugar cane.