THE ‘El Nino’ phenomenon started in August 2009 and over the past seven months, the dry spell has increasingly affected the operations of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO. Availability of water has been hindered by the dwindling levels of the canals, rivers and conservancies which the industry relies on to irrigate the estates.

The main areas affected include cane transport, replanting and irrigation of planted canes.

While the current weather is ideal for tillage this has been restricted as in order to till and maintain adequate cane cultivation, planting has to be done simultaneously.

Currently, the most affected estates are those in East Demerara. Both Enmore and La Bonne Intention (LBI) rely on the East Demerara Water Conservancy for water, but currently it is at its dead storage level.

All estates which are currently grinding have been sectionalising areas for cane harvest where possible, so as to ensure an adequate level of water to transport punts to the factories.

Through a collaborative effort with stakeholder agencies such as the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and the Mahaica-Mahaicony, Abary – Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), GuySuCo is working to address these issues.

The drainage and irrigation resources of the Corporation are being reshuffled based on the urgency of individual estates, which are constantly being monitored.