THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has officially ended the first crop of 2013, and all estates have ceased operating.

Just under 48,000 tonnes of sugar have been produced, significantly less than the crop’s initial target of 71,000 tonnes.
GuySuCo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Paul Bhim, described the industry’s performance as “very poor” in a telephone interview done with this publication on Monday.
Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had announced last month that the corporation was deliberately curtailing this year’s first crop in an effort to achieve in the next crop a better yield from canes which had not ideally matured.
Bhim said that some cane from the first crop will be taken into the second crop, which should begin earlier than usual. He also pointed out that the rainy weather has put paid to the chance of doing any further work for this crop.
Bhim advised that while it is usual for the second crop to begin at the end of July, this year’s second crop will begin in the third week of June on about four estates. He said out-of-crop maintenance is now being done on all estates, and the corporation should be ready to recommence grinding in June. However, a target has not yet been set for the second crop.
The Skeldon factory, which had undergone remedial work before the first crop had begun, has not been fully tested because of an inadequate supply of canes, but will be tested during the second crop. However, the factory has been working more satisfactorily, even though one component is still undergoing rehabilitative work.
South African firm Bosch has been contracted to modify the Skeldon factory, touted as the flagship of the sugar industry. It has been plagued with several issues, affecting its efficient functioning.
In a recent interview, Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had indicated Government’s dissatisfaction with the work done by Bosch on the conveyor belt, and had said the company had been asked to return to rectify the work done.
President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Mr. Komal Chand, during a telephone interview yesterday, insisted that the crop had not been curtailed. He said that each estate worked for as long as its supply of cane permitted.
He noted that, weather permitting; the second crop can start a little earlier, which would be beneficial to the industry. Nevertheless, he emphasised that the second crop would be starting with a deficit of some 24,000 tonnes.
Chand said the insufficient supply of cane for the industry is the major contributing factor to the industry’s poor performance. He added that the issue would have to be more effectively addressed if the sector is to be improved, and noted that some workers suffer because of this shortage of cane. He also said that while some workers get out-of-crop work, others — such as harvesters — only work during the crop, and hence suffer from a longer out-of-crop period.
An article in the March/April edition of the union’s publication, Combat, claimed that the poor level of sugar production in the first crop has further deepened GuySuCo’s indebtedness, resulting in delayed payments of salaried employees for April, 2013.
That article declared that the corporation needed to secure an adequate crop financing loan from one of the commercial banks. The writer of that article said securing a loan was understood to be possible if the government guarantees the loan.