THE heavy rainfall, which saw flash flooding in several areas during last week, has taken its toll on the sugar sector.According to Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, the industry lost an entire week due to the rain.

“In the last seven days we have only had one working day because of the rain. Today (Sunday) all factories are working,” he said.
With grinding moving into December, the sugar belt in November has already seen over two weeks of rainy days.
The minister reiterated that the weather continues to affect the sector, making clear the enormity of the challenge facing the industry, particularly since weather patterns are not modifiable in the short-term.
Guyana used to have two wet and two dry seasons of a particular length on a regular basis, but that has changed. Sugar requires a period of 14 to 20 weeks of completely dry weather during grinding.
Sugar production in the second crop, according to the most recent numbers, stands at over 121,000 tonnes putting the year’s production past 171,000 tonnes.
The revised target for the first crop was 71,000 tonnes, but the season ended up with 48,000 tonnes because of challenges with the weather; and it was hoped that the second crop would have made up for the shortfall.
The adjusted target for the second crop was 150,000 tonnes and the ministry is currently looking at what the numbers will be in the next few weeks when grinding ends.