WITH still another few weeks before the first crop ends, sugar production has already surpassed 63,000 tonnes, and several of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) estates have already surpassed their targets, according to Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy.

GuySuCo operates eight estates, located at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara; Wales, West Bank Demerara; Enmore and La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara; Rose Hall, Albion and Skeldon on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice; and Blairmont, West Bank Berbice.

Dr Ramsammy, in an invited comment, disclosed that Uitvlugt is on target, while Wales has already surpassed its target. “The East Demerara estates are on pace to meet their targets,” he said, adding that Blairmont Estate is expected to exceed its target, while the East Berbice Estates – Rose Hall and Albion – are expected to do the same.

Skeldon Estate, on the other hand, started operating late, and is trying to recover lost opportunity days, he disclosed.
“Once this happens, Skeldon will meet its target. Even if we are not able to recover those lost days, the excess from the other estates will support the production for the first crop,” Dr Ramsammy said.

He expressed confidence that GuySuCo will meet its 84,000-tonne target for the first crop of 2015. “This has been, so far, a good crop, where most estates reach or surpassed target… Once the weather holds to facilitate harvesting, we will be okay,” the Agriculture Minister said.

GuySuCo recorded a production of 216,147 tonnes in 2014, when the first crop surpassed the 75,000-tonne target and brought in about 80,000 tonnes.

The cycle of the current sugar crop comes to an end in early May. The production being targeted by GuySuCo for 2015 is some 240,000 tonnes.
(Vanessa Narine)