The immediate post-emancipation period of the nineteenth century was a period of crisis, experimentation and change. The principal crop sugar-cane experienced fluctuating fortunes as a direct result of labour shortages, the effects of the 1846 Sugar Duties Act,
a serious challenge from the village movement and peasantry, competition from European beet and the necessity for technological and other advances within the industry.
Further the liberation of approximately 84,000 ex-slaves at the termination of the Apprenticeship System and the entry of thousands of immigrants from Asia, Africa, Europe and even Barbados “drastically altered the composition of the Colony” and laid the basis for a transformed economy.
(B) Within the first decade (1838-1848) 44,456 ex-slaves had taken over 15,462 acres of land at a cost of $1,038,000. It meant that there was a significant shift of population from plantations to newly created villages. This was quickly countered by large-scale immigration of indentured labourers to work on the plantations.
Elaborate drainage and irrigation canals, an intricate network of roads and dams, the construction of bridges and sluices, the introduction of steam engines and a more efficient manufacturing system all contributed to the survival of the sugar industry. As a matter of fact, Guyana’s sugar industry was described as “technologically the most advanced in the British West Indies” at the time.
In spite of the dominance of sugar there was a fair measure of economic diversification in the second half of the nineteenth century. For example, mining came to the fore with the discovery of gold in the riverain and interior locations of the Cuyuni and Mazaruni districts in the 1860s and this led to a ‘gold rush’ in the ensuing years as several gold-mining concessions were granted.
The use of wallaba for the production of shingles, staves and posts also emerged as well as charcoal for cooking purposes. There was a gradual rise in the prominence of logging and in particular greenheart and exports of this precious and durable wood averaged 641,000 cu. ft. annually for the years 1862-1865. It was exported to industrialized countries for the construction of piers, ports and docks. Balata was first exported in 1859 and by the 1880s the industry maintained an annual export of 200,000 lbs and rose to 482,396 lbs in the 1896-1897 period. Cash crop cultivation and livestock rearing also gained prominence along with coconut and copra production. Rice, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruits and ground provisions were grown with success. Another area of diversification was in building construction. Some of Georgetown’s (the capital city) most impressive wooden structures were built in the late nineteenth century with “professional expertise in architecture, engineering and craftsmanship.”
There was also expansion in commerce and in wholesale and retail trading along with the availability of banking services, credit and investment finance and insurance services. Of added significance was the renewed call to intensify economic diversification in the colonies.
Developments
before Independence
Economic diversification continued in the first decades of the twentieth century. Between the period 1900-1939 rice, dairy farming and timber were some of the areas which were addressed.
Interest in bauxite mining and the production of aluminum surfaced early in the century. The Berbice river districts of Kwakwani and Ituni and the Demerara river districts of Three Friends, Old England, Dakara and Wismar were found to contain high quality
ore. Demerara Bauxite Company (Demba) commenced bauxite production in 1917 in response to demands for aluminum during and after World War I. By 1965 mines such as Montgomery, Arrowcane, Maria Elizabeth, Noitgetdacht and Warabaru were producing 90 percent of the country’s output of approximately 3,000,000 metric tonnes.
During the Second World War Government’s official policy was that of a “Grow More Food Campaign”. This was against the background of severe shortages and a rising cost of living. Rice production and rice exports nearly doubled between 1939-1957.
In 1957 the first major land development scheme was established at Black Bush Polder on the Upper Corentyne. This scheme initially covered an area of 31,000 acres with residents involved in rice and cash crop cultivation. Other land development schemes such as Tapakuma and Mara and the Boerasirie Extension Project were also inaugurated.
The pre-independence era was also a time when the diamond industry made significant strides with both rough and polished diamonds being exported. Production averaged 30,000-40,000 carats annually in the 1960s. Among other industries which progressed during this period were fishing, brewery and beverage and the forestry sectors along with wholesale and retail trading, communication and transportation.
