–some 12,000 tonnes shy of second-crop target

DESPITE the many challenges facing the sugar industry, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is close to meeting its overall production target of 188,000 tonnes for 2016.This is according to the company’s Senior Communications Officer, Ms Audreyanna Thomas, who told the Guyana Chronicle by telephone on Tuesday that they are close to 12,000 tonnes shy of meeting their second-crop target of 137,764 tonnes of sugar.
Noting that the second-crop target had initially been pegged at 159,000 tonnes, Thomas said the company was forced to settle for 137, 764 tonnes, a shortfall of a whopping 93,307 tonnes on last year’s output, due to the inclement weather.
The same holds true for the original overall target for 2016, which was initially pegged at 239, 513 tonnes.
Thomas reported that some of the estates have completed grinding for the year, with some having surpassed their production targets. One of the estates confirmed to have completed its operations for 2016 is the Wales Estate on the West Bank of Demerara.
As to how the first crop has done, Thomas confirmed that GuySuCo had missed its target by some 29.3 per cent, due to the dry El Nino-like weather conditions.
A review of the first crop for this year has shown that of the projected 80,270 tonnes, actual production was listed at just 56,825 tonnes.
Further, reports have indicated that last year, the first crop had been extended. The revised crop target of 83,000 tonnes which GuySuCo had set was matched by 81,194 tonnes.
Back in 2014, GuySuCo’s first-crop target was set at 74,616 tonnes and the industry recorded 74,842 tonnes.
The Government had expended $9B at the start of the year on the sugar industry, but later made another billion-dollar bailout, with members of the National Assembly in October approving $2B for the cash-strapped corporation.