The Skeldon Sugar Factory last week recorded its highest daily production since the factor was commissioned in 2009, according to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).
On Wednesday, the corporation reported, Skeldon produced 515 tonnes of sugar surpassing a previous high from September 2012 of 501 tonnes. The corporation’s production for the year is 177,127 tonnes, which is 77.8% of the estimated annual production figure. The second crop production figure to date is 95,983 tonnes; 65.6% of the estimated total.
Originally, the Skeldon factory, which has been riddled with costly problems, was supposed to produce 110,000 tonnes of sugar annually. For this year’s first crop, the Skeldon estate barely managed to produce 8,000 tonnes, missing its 17,200-tonne production target by more than half. The beleaguered US$110M factory has struggled to preform since its commissioning never being able to grind the promised 350 tonnes of cane per hour instead having a top ability of high 200’s tonnes per hour.
The corporation averages a production cost of US$0.40 however Skeldon’s production cost is significantly higher. As the public awaits the outcome of the Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry, the corporation has also made moves to buy back to the Skeldon Co-Generation Plant that was sold to a special interest company earlier this year for US$30 million.
In a press release, the corporation stated that Skeldon Estate supplied the Guyana Power and Light Inc with 1,213,000 KWh of electricity using bagasse fuel. This brings the total power supplied for the year to date to 30,252,000 KWh.
Last month Dr Clive Thomas head of the GuySuCo Board revealed that the co-generation capability at Skeldon supplies power to roughly 90,000 residents in the Berbice area. “Skeldon is a major supplier of cogeneration and without the permission of the board or the authorities at Skeldon the previous Chairman of the Board negotiated a sale of the Skeldon co-generating capacity to NICIL and that remains a subject of much contention because it has depleted the value of Skeldon because it’s an important revenue stream,” Thomas stated.
He continued, “If you take that out of the equation, you are reducing significantly the income that can be generated out of Skeldon.”
GuySuCo stated that Skeldon, Albion, Blairmont, East Demerara and Uitvlugt Estates have all surpassed their weekly targets while Rose Hall Estate achieved 97% for last week. The week ended with the estates collectively producing 254 tonnes more than their 10,000 tonnes target.
The press release by the corporation also noted that the Uitvlugt Estate completed its second crop on Saturday producing 7,847 tonnes of sugar, surpassing its target by 733 tonnes. Additionally, the estate produced 16,428 tonnes of sugar for the year surpassing its year’s target by 1,065 tonnes. The release did not state what was responsible for Uitvlugt’s early completion of its second crop harvesting.
The corporation stated that over $531 million have been awarded to employees for their achievements of 47 weekly production incentives for the 2015 crop to date.
