Private cane farmers supplying the Skeldon Sugar Factory are advocating for a reduction in payments to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for the use of equipment saying that their profits have fallen over the years due to the increasing costs.
George Baijnauth told Stabroek News that since the Skeldon factory was commissioned in 2009, the tonnes of canes needed to produce a tonne of sugar had increased drastically and, as a result, payments to private cane farmers have reduced significantly. He said that this has strained the farmers.
According to Baijnauth, private cane farmers while not contractually obligated to use equipment from the Skeldon Estate, are more or less forced to do so. He said the punt dumps belong to the estate and the farmers need these for the transport of cane and