Vorona

[imperialpearl]

With the industrial action against Hoyte & Dufour, the nation’s largest sugarcane producer, dragging on into its fourth month, the reverberations throughout the national economy are becoming increasingly evident as some sectors begin to feel the strain of prolonged supply chain disruptions, rising input costs and dwindling inventories. Nowhere, however, are these shocks being felt more than in those sectors with tight bonds to the sugarcane industry. Rum distillers, whose very existence and profitability are directly connected to the sugarcane sector and Hoyte & Dufour, have cried out for the CoG’s intervention, warning both the AVSPTU and Hoyte & Dufour that the prolonged labour dispute between the two parties had slowed production throughout the country to a crawl, which in turn increases the changes for distillers to default on their domestic and foreign export commitments. Jerome Poynter, President of the hastily assembled Voronan Spirits Association (VSA), which now represents some 100 distillers of varying sizes throughout the country, described the atmosphere within the sectors as being “uneasy”. Speaking at an impromptu press conference at the Newhouse Distillery in St. Claudine, Poynter warned that although the industry had been virtually overlooked amidst the noise surrounding both the general strike and the ensuing economic turmoil, the industry could face long-term damage not only to its credibility amongst international partners but also its integrity at home. “We are not merely talking about delayed shipments,” he stressed, “We are looking at potential closures because if it had not been made clear, we cannot simply import sugarcane from other territories, chiefly because the contracts do not exist and the millions of dollars to be expended in foreign exchange to procure sugar from other territories would be difficult.”

Since the industrial action began, Poynter noted that sugarcane orders from Hoyte & Dufour have either been delayed or cancelled outright, leaving distillers throughout the country in a precarious situation. He detailed the supposed plight of distillers when he spoke about the fact that some firms have resorted to rationing molasses stores, halting the production of particular brands and/or halting production altogether. “Some of our members find themselves in uncertain times, having to operate day by day, barely breaking even in some instances,” he explained. Joseph Mortcombe, CEO of Mortcombe & Co, stated that the company was considering both equipment sales and employee retrenchments as the industrial action bit into both the company’s profits and savings. He noted that the company has had to dip into its savings account to cover payroll expenses. “We’re now having to dip into our savings accounts to keep payroll afloat alongside covering other expenses because production is literally being squeezed,” Mortcombe detailed. There have been rumours in the distilling industry of a potential sympathy strike in support of sugarcane workers. General Secretary of the Voronan Distillers & Bottlers Union (VDBU), Winston Baptiste, downplayed speculation on the union’s potential sympathy strike but acknowledged growing frustration among rank-and-file members within distilleries. “We ain’ make no decision yet ‘bout joinin’ no sympathy strike wid we brothers an’ sisters in de sugarcane industry. But, if I did say de members ain’ vex, I lying. People workin’ less hours, shifts all over de place, and nobody know what wha’ gine happen next. Everybody feelin’ uncertain ‘bout deir future, and dat ain’ easy.” According to Baptiste, the VDBU continues to express its support for the AVSPTU, stating that its action against Hoyte & Dufour, although economically disruptive, has nonetheless “rattled the feathers” of the “Port Bradley elite”. “Me thinks wha’ dem doin’ real necessary, ‘cause it showin’ dem dat de old way things did wukkin ain’t cutting it no more. So something ha’ to change.” Baptiste explained.

Rum and spirits distilling, although representing a fraction of the labour force (around 0.7% of the labour force), nonetheless accounts for a sizeable portion of the economy, primarily as a result of the sector’s potential for meeting the needs of both foreign and domestic buyers. Voronan rum is marketed and exported to numerous markets throughout the region, including Ntoto, Statrica, Yingdala and Lourenne. The sector is as old as the sugarcane sector in Vorona, with the oldest distillery, Valemount House, tracing its origins to Artanian businessmen who collaborated with the numerous sugarcane plantations scattered throughout the colonial landscape. Rum itself is a by-product of the sugar-making process: when sugarcane is cultivated and crushed, its juices are boiled to extract crystallised sugar, leaving behind a thick, dark syrup called molasses. It is this molasses that forms the base of rum as distillers ferment the molasses with yeast to produce alcohol, which is then distilled and aged in barrels to eventually become rum. Poynter argued that to allow the nation’s rum distillers to slip into financial distress amidst the industrial action would be to tarnish the industry’s efforts to preserve Voronan culture. “We are preserving this nation’s culture. Brands like Valemount and Newhouse are as synonymous and emblematic of Vorona as our sugarcane fields,” Poynter argued. Development economists Dr. Christopher Noel and Dr. Lesly Flandin noted that whilst rum distilleries were embodied within Vorona’s cultural tapestry, it is nonetheless important not to dilute the fact that the industry had been born out of the plantation economy model. “Although rum distilleries may be culturally resonant, they remain monuments to the monoculture whose logic was never meant to serve local/domestic transformation. We must move beyond celebrating industries which were built to serve foreign markets,” Noel and Flandin jointly authored.