As part of its efforts at modernising the sugar industry with the use of e-smart agricultural initiatives, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has embarked on an evaluation of the use of drone technology while also aiming to attract youths to the industry.
In a release yesterday, the corporation disclosed that this latest development is intended to advance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of its operations “in the wake of the numerous challenges as a result of the rapid labour force attrition, climate and demographical changes the industry is experiencing currently.”
And according to GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sasenarine Singh, the corporation is moving towards the use of e-smart agriculture as a mechanism to retain and attract young people to the industry. The reason proffered is that “half of a per cent of the workforce in the fields are not coming back, which means that in 10 years’ time about five per cent of the workforce in the field is going to disappear which is of concern and we are moving to address [this] urgently.” Therefore, the release stated, one of the objectives of this initiative is to attract younger individuals who are technologically savvy.
It was also pointed out that GuySuCo’s operating estates in regions Three, Five, and Six are experiencing a continuous decline of available manpower for critical field operations, especially in the area of chemical weed control where there is a 70 per cent shortfall in manpower requirement. This affects significantly the control of weeds which impact negatively on sugar cane yield.
The CEO also noted that apart from the labour deficit, the ongoing demographical changes in communities surrounding GuySuCo’s estates have expanded the ‘no fly’ zones resulting in the corporation’s inability to conduct effective aerial reconnaissance and maintenance of its cultivations using the traditional crop duster aircraft. The use of drones, however, will allow for an improved capability to address weed infestation together with the ability to maximize the use of ripeners.
In addition, the increasing challenges of the effects of climate change inhibit GuySuCo’s ability to monitor and evaluate its field operations especially in areas where access is limited as a result of the high cost of aircraft reconnaissance. This, the corporation says, was demonstrated during the recent unprecedented flooding in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) which resulted in its largest cultivation and sugar-producing estate – Albion/ Port Mourant – being inundated for over 65 days.
During this period, the corporation disclosed that it was limited in its ability to traverse the cultivation to ascertain the magnitude of the damage incurred and take timely action to mitigate the impact where possible. Adopting the use of drone technology, it asserts, would enable personnel to reduce the laborious physical assessments and provide frequent and high-resolution data of crops and field conditions which are vital for the transformation of the sugar industry.
The release reported the CEO as saying that funding for the project was approved by the National Assembly through the support and intervention of the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha. The CEO added that GuySuCo is now working along with the experts from the Guyana Defence Force to further develop the use of drones. Singh explained that it is anticipated that on formalising the use of drones, the area over which chemicals can be applied aerially will be increased from the current average of 50%, contingent upon the approval of the Pesticide and Toxic Chemicals (Control) Board, the release added.
