Proposed cuts in sugar subsidies paid by the European Union have Caribbean nations that have traditionally exported sugar to Europe wondering why they were not consulted about the new proposal in any meaningful way and why they are being given such a short time to adjust to the changes the cuts will bring.

The EU proposed this week to cut guaranteed sugar prices by 39 percent. The proposed plan gives the sugar producers only two years to make needed changes in their operations in order to compensate for lost revenues. Even though the prices the EU would pay under the plan are still over twice free market prices, the cuts will still be a burden on the nations affected.

In Guyana, which along with Jamaica will be most heavily hit by the cuts, 750,000 people make their living working in the sugar industry. The proposed EU cuts will cost the country $40 million (£22 million) in export revenues, over six times the $8 million in relief that the nation expects to receive from the recent G-8 debt relief program.

Jamaica has plans to develop alternate uses for sugar such as ethanol production and Gagasse-based generation of electricity, but officials say they will need more time than they would have under the EU proposal to put those plans into use.