A new Board of Directors of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has been been named with agriculturist John Dow as its chairman.
This was announced by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon on Monday at a post-Cabinet press briefing. The corporation has been without a board since the life of the previous board ended in April this year.
In March, by way of a full-page advertisement in the Guyana Chronicle, head of the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited’s (NICIL) Special Purpose Unit (SPU) Colvin Heath-London was confirmed as GuySuco’s new chairman and other directors included Komal Singh; Verna Adrian; Fritz McLean; Rosh Khan (jr); George Jervis; Arianne McLean; Vishnu Panday; Annette Arjoon-Martins and two executives from GuySuCo.
That month, Minister of State Joseph Harmon had told reporters that Cabinet had requested to have further consideration of the board of GuySuCo.
“Cabinet made some comments with respect to the board that was identified and I am sure that within the short space of time that all of the issues as they relate to the board will be clarified and that there will be a full board of GuySuCo appointed, gazetted and working,” the Minister of State had told reporters.
The life of the previous board, chaired by Professor Clive Thomas, ended in April, 2018.
However, in April, Minister Jordan made it clear that Heath-London was not appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of GuySuCo, despite an initial decision by a Cabinet sub-committee to appoint him to the post.
The sugar industry, which, over the years, has fallen on tough times, was among issues brought to the fore when the President hosted a news conference at the Ministry of the Presidency several weeks ago. “GuySuCo is important to us. We have said that we are not shutting down the sugar industry, it is being reformed,” the President told reporters while noting under his Government the larger estates in East Berbice, West Berbice and West Demerara are being maintained.
READ MORE here: http://guyanachronicle.com/2018/09/02/sugar-experts-for-guysuco-board
Under this Government, the Sugar Industry has been reduced to three estates and factories –Blairmont on the West Bank of Berbice, Albion-Rose Hall in East Berbice and the Uitvlugt-Wales Estate in West Demerara.
Former Director of Agricultural Services, Dr. Harold Davis Jnr was appointed GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in August this year.
“There has been a tendency or a temptation in the past to put persons who might be socially prominent but this is a business, this is an international industry, we have to compete with other sugar producers,” President Granger said.
