Dear Editor,
THE IMC at GuySuCo has convinced the Government that the day-to-day decisions it is making are best for the citizens, the corporation and the country. At this instant, it is unclear whether the political offices that overlook the sugar sector know what I am about to reveal. If not, the holders of those offices should seek the truth, not half-truths or whole lies.
Editor, it is a known fact that Blairmont and Enmore estates produce direct-consumption quality sugars for consumers in the local and export markets. Uitvlugt estate produces sugar of a lesser quality that is sold on a limited basis in the local market only.

It is now observed for the first time ever, that sugar is being transported by road from Albion Estate to the Enmore Packaging Plant for packaging. Editor, Albion estate is a bulk sugar producer, meaning that all the sugar it produces is for refining before its consumption and not food-grade quality for direct consumption.
This decision to send Albion’s sugar to the Enmore Packaging Plant effectively means that GuySuCo is now placing industrial bulk grade sugar or non-food grade sugar into bags and/or packs for retail sale and thus direct use. Non-food grade sugar does not meet the quality standards for direct consumption and, therefore, puts the health of consumers at risk. The entire technical and administrative hierarchy should be made answerable for this decision, as it is tantamount to a criminal offence to knowingly place on the market such sugar. This matter requires urgent investigation. Consumers pay hard-earned cash for a food-grade product, not non-food-grade product. Their health and well-being must never be treated with such contempt.

Apart from non-food grade sugar being packed, the cost of production will be much higher because of additional transport costs from Albion to Enmore. Is this the sound business decision that the corporation often boasts about? A logical question is: why not produce all food-grade sugar required for those markets at the food-grade factories (Blairmont and Enmore)? A colossal blunder in planning and/or the record low production in the first crop of 2017 may be probable reasons for it not being done or made possible.

I did warn about incompetence and possible record low production in a previous letter. Low production must be the cause for GuySuCo ending the first crop at Enmore, then twenty-four (24) hours later announcing that it would restart operations. Never before has such confusion and incompetence stalked the offices of executives and the IMC at GuySuCo.

Regards
Sookram Persaud