AGRICULTURE Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy disclosed in an invited comment to this publication that the reports on the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) operations for the first two quarters of this year would be completed after the end of June, and be tabled when the corporation appears before the Parliamentary Economic Services Committee.

“The second quarter report, as well as the first quarter report, will be completed when June ends. Also, soon after the reports are completed, GuySuCo has been requested to appear before the Economic Services Committee in early July, and that seems to be the appropriate time for the reports to be tabled,” Dr Ramsammy said.

“Rather than the minister having to come to Parliament and answer, GuySuCo will be able to present themselves to the Committee, and would be equipped with up-to-date information, having completed the reports up to June,” he added.

Minister Ramsammy made it clear that, contrary to recent statements in the media by Shadow Agriculture Minister of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), front-bencher Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, the submission of the reports is not late in coming.

“I promised quarterly reports in April, during the budget debates, and there is no way that the reports can be presented before the end of June,” Dr Ramsammy said.

He also declared that politicians need to be “less reckless” with their comments, although he acknowledge the correct state of affairs.

“We are not non-complaint,” he stressed.

The promise of quarterly reports was made soon after the National Assembly had approved a $6B allocation to GuySuCo.

Responding to a question from APNU’s Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge, Minister Ramsammy committed to providing the Parliament with quarterly reports detailing how the $6B allocation to the sugar industry was spent.

The $6B is expected to cover expenditures that include: mechanization through the conversion of 2,500 hectares of land to be suitable for mechanical operations, which would be done at a cost of $1.1B; tillage and replanting of 9,200 hectares, both efforts being consistent with improving cane production and yield, which will be done at a cost of $1B; factory upgrading of all sugar estates, including Skeldon, at a cost of $2B; and works to field infrastructure to improve field to factory access and purchasing of equipment, excavators, bell loaders, tractors, etc. to account for the remainder of the allocation.
The sugar industry is projected to record an improvement of 15.6 percent in output to 215,910 tonnes in 2014 and a whopping $6B has been allocated to the sector in the 2014 Budget, given the industry’s important role in national development.
Among the measures to be undertaken to ensure a turnaround of the industry are: increase volume and lower cost of production; diversify target markets, and expand on value added production in order to survive.

In 2013, sugar exports accounted for 8.3 percent of total exports, valued at US$112.2M; and the industry contributed 3.9 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

(By Vanessa Narine)