The main sugar union GAWU yesterday expressed deep concern over poor production at GuySuCo and launched a stinging attack on the management of the corporation.
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) statement came just days after Stabroek News had reported on dismal sugar production figures despite billions of dollars being poured into the industry, the purchase of machinery and the hiring of experts.
As the principal bargaining agent in the sugar industry, GAWU said yesterday that it is “deeply concerned over the current trend of sugar production”.
As of October 26, 2024, it said that the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) produced 24,711 tonnes of sugar, representing just 39 per cent of its 63,276-tonne target. As much as 60 per cent of the cropping period has been exhausted, and GAWU said it is apprehensive that the deficit cannot be closed in the remaining cropping weeks.
“From our perspective, the industry’s sad situation cannot be delinked from the management of its cultivation and agricultural operations”, it argued.
Before the commencement of the crop, the union said it drew GuySuCo’s attention to several important issues that required intervention.
“It appears that our concerns were brushed aside. Recently, we have expressed concern about the production rate and trajectory. It seems that those charged with agricultural management in the industry have, for reason/s best known to themselves, chosen to turn a Nelson’s Eye”, the union lamented.
Given the conducive weather for mechanised sugar operations over the past few weeks, GAWU said it is puzzled that daily production levels remained constrained.
“It begs the question: What are the factor/s which have inhibited production levels? The industry remains heavily reliant on manual cane harvesting complemented by mechanised loading, a practice that is now decades old.
“The major challenge revolves around the quality of canes being produced. While the industry cane yields have been higher than anticipated, though well below their potential, the sucrose content remains depressed. We are conscious that the El Nino drought conditions would have had an impact. However, given the collective managerial experience in GuySuCo, better planning could have been advanced to mitigate some of the challenges”, the union argued.
GAWU said that It appears that rather than addressing their difficulties in a complete and frank manner; GuySuCo’s agricultural leadership is preparing to deploy rationales and justifications to obfuscate and to excuse their poor performance.
“We are sure that we will hear about issues related to punt weights, standards, and work attendance in the coming days, among other things.
Of course, those who have followed the industry would know that these are certainly not new excuses but are the same old scapegoats – the workers and the weather – that will be deployed to grant coverage for the eventual output”, the union posited.
GAWU said it remains convinced that the sugar industry can succeed, but as we have said before and reiterate once again, knowledgeable and capable management is an essential prerequisite.
“We urge policymakers to consider ridding the industry of those who have anointed themselves as the ‘saviour’ but have placed it in a stranglehold and seek to blame everyone and everything but themself for the circumstances in which the GuySuCo finds itself”, the union said it without calling names.
Yesterday’s statement will be seen as a stern rebuke of the Irfaan Ali government’s handling of the sugar industry.
Yesterday, GuySuCo published advertisements seeing the provision of a wide range of services at the Blairmont and Utvlugt estates.
In August this year, this newspaper had reported that even as the corporation’s audit for last year was still to be completed, GuySuCo recorded back-to-back losses of $7.8 billion and $10.2 billion in 2021 and 2022 respectively with this year recording the lowest first crop in its history.
The extent of the losses in the wake of large state subsidies to the industry will raise further questions about the government’s strategy. In its 2020 manifesto it had vowed to reopen three estates that were shuttered by the APNU+AFC administration. It has since reopened one, Rose Hall.
