While the rainy season is usually expected to start in May, on this occasion it has began somewhat early in the month, and in fact the Hydromet Service has predicted that the first two weeks of this month would be very wet.
Already we have seen some degree of flooding in some regions, but Region 9 has been hit heavily.
However, the onset of rainfall has serious implications on agricultural output. Rice farmers will welcome the rain because they are currently in the cultivation period when water irrigation is very important. On the other hand, the sugar industry is in the concluding stage of harvesting for the first crop, and this has already created a setback with production of sugar significantly behind the target.
According to the CEO of GUYSUCO, Paul Bhim, heavy rainfall throughout the country over the last few months has caused the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to fall 30,000 tonnes behind its 101,000-tonne production target for the first crop.
Most of the cane loading machines are not effective during the rainy season works on the estates and at the factories have come to a halt.

Bhim admitted that while the various machines are incapable of working during the rainy season, the tasks could be completed manually. However, workers have become reliant on the machinery, and would in many cases refuse to undertake the job without the assistance of Bell loaders.

“We have not been able to use the machinery to load cane, and also the mechanized harvesting has been tremendously affected by the weather…We rely on workers to actually come in and load cane, and I am afraid that the workers are reluctant to do that,” Bhim stated.
“In the rainy conditions that we have been having, it would be really nice if the workers could turn out and assist us in producing as much sugar as possible, with the limited time we have available, by coming to work and cutting the cane, and not only relying on the bell loaders,” Bhim opined.

Based on this disclosure by Mr. Bhim it means that GUYSUCO needs to rethink and reconsider its strategy on heavy dependence on machinery for loading canes. The problem with this strategy is that the terrain of the of the sugar cane fields was never really designed for to handle loading by machines and therefore in the prevailing conditions thought should be given to providing a special incentive package to motivate workers to load the canes manually against the backdrop of their reluctance to do so in this regard.
In the long term, GUYSUCO needs to examine the issue of having the terrain suitability be redesigned to ensure that the cane loading machines are operable even in the rainy season. This makes one wonders when the decision was made to introduce the Bell loaders whether consideration was not given to the issue of whether these machines could be operable in wet conditions.
If consideration was not given to this issue then it was downright short sightedness of those who made the decision because any new system or modus operandi brings new challenges and the implications and resolutions of these challenges have to be given utmost attention.
However, at the moment priority has to be given to employing a strategy which would either ensure that the target for this crop or at least to reach as near as possible,
Falling behind the target by a large amount would have severe long term adverse implications for the industry, workers welfare and the national economy.
In recent times we have seen some encouraging and positive signs within the industry, despite the multiplicity of challenges that face it.
We therefore have to build on these positives and ensure that the industry is returned to viability in the shortest possible time. This is not an option, but rather an imperative.