-Ramsammy
With 100,000 tonnes of sugar already produced for the second crop, The Ministry of Agriculture is confident that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) will surpass it production target.
There are seven weeks more to go before the close of the season, for which GuySuCo is aiming to produce 160,000 tonnes of sugar.
In an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Ramsammy said sugar cane production has been increasing, with some estates recording 10,000 and 12,000 tonnes of cane weekly.
“Given the fact that we are still in October and this crop will continue until after December, which means there will be approximately seven weeks of work to push in, which will allow the corporation to add 70,000 to 90,000 tonnes of sugar cane more to this crop’s production record,” he said.
Ramsammy was optimistic that despite the adverse weather patterns, conditions are favourable enough to exceed the single crop production target. “The industry is looking up… even as we work tirelessly to improve Skeldon it continues to perform reasonably well, with Albion, Rose Hall and Blairmont estates earning extra days’ pay also,” he said.
According to GINA, the increase in production levels demonstrates the level of work and the improvements in performance in the sugar industry. GuySuCo had, in the past operated with a huge deficit with billions recorded as of 2011.
However, Ramsammy said, if production continues along the same trend, coupled with the $4B government subsidy, GuySuCo should be able to manage its deficit. The subsidy does not supply GuySuCo’s operational cost, but services its capital investment.
Increased annual production has also seen workers benefit from an increase in wages. Management and the GuySuCo Board of Directors are currently discussing this issue with workers’ unions.
Earlier in the year, GuySuCo has revised its sugar production target this year to 236,000 tonnes—a reduction of 30,000 tonnes. Its original target was 265,000 tonnes, however several problems, including low worker turnout, industrial action and inclement weather saw the first crop this year slipping to a new low at 71,146 tonnes—far lower than the 106,000 tonnes which was recorded at the end of the first crop in 2011.
