A major component of GUYSUCO’s strategic plan to turn around the sugar industry is moving towards value added and packaged products, and in this regard the Enmore Packaging Plant nearing completion will play a major role. And therefore it was heartening to hear that the plant will be completed by November.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has given some encouraging assurances with respect to the completion of the plant on time and one would hope that there would be no hiccups, because if there is, then GUYSUCO will further be hampered in its efforts to reduce financial losses and return the corporation to profitability.
The minister expressed satisfaction with the works of the contractor but stressed that pressure will be kept up on them to ensure that the project meets all of the contract dates and deadlines. The Minister noted that this was a very important project in terms of moving towards value-added products in the sugar industry. He said it is just one component of the work and that the second component will take place within the old factory building to build capacity to produce sugar of the quality that will be used in the packaging facility.
“Overall, the project is on schedule. It is about 70 to 75 percent completed and the aim is that by November we will be able to commence packaging sugar from this facility.”
He said because of the quality of sugar required, GUYSUCO will have to bring the sugar down from Blairmont. But by the first crop of next year, the intention is to have sugar directly from the Enmore factory coming into the packaging plant by which time the modifications would have been completed. He said there has been some delay because the company wasn’t able to work on the modification during the crop period, noting that such work had to be done during the out of crop period.
“I want to restate that this is a very important project. We are keeping a close eye on the project. It is part of the indicators for some of the resources we’re getting from the European Union and timelines being met is very important,” Persaud said.
It is highly important that the construction of the Enmore Packaging plant is closely monitored so as to ensure there is no delay in its operations like what happened with the Skeldon Sugar Factory. GUYSUCO can ill afford any delays because of the current challenges and difficulties it is facing.
Guyana has a glorious opportunity to become the sugar “king” of the English-speaking Caribbean because apart from Belize in all the other territories the sugar industry has collapsed because they do not have the capacity to remain competitive and viable with the end of the era of preferential markets and drastic price cuts by the EU. And therefore it has to grab the opportunity to remain competitive on the global market.
After all the viability and profitability of our sugar industry is not an option; it is an imperative because it is our largest contributor to the national economy and is the largest employer with over 20,000 employees and creates indirect employment for thousands of others.
We have the capacity and resources to restore the sugar industry to its former glory. What is needed now is efficient and effective management of the industry at levels and the will and determination to succeed.
And from what has been seen in recent times it seems that the required will and determination are there.