– Hanoman says smaller operation necessary for industry’s survival

GUYANA Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Errol Hanoman has said that the company must stay on course to avoid a collapse of the sugar industry.
He made the remarks in view of the move by the corporation to issue redundancy letters to hundreds of workers.

Accompanied by Board Chair, Professor Clive Thomas and Finance Officer Paul Bhim at a sit-down with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday, Hanoman said the problems facing GuySuCo are much deeper and complex than the fear and discomfort being felt regarding the gradual discharge of some 4,000 workers.

“The bottom line really is to find a solution to the sugar industry. Now, if we had not found a solution for the sugar industry, the entire industry would have died. Not only would it have died, it [GuySuCo] would have collapsed by now,” Professor Thomas interjected.
The CEO reiterated that GuySuCo was burdened and unable to keep up with its expenses and a reorganisation plan has been put in motion “to ensure that a sugar industry remains in Guyana.”
Hanoman, who is expected to leave GuySuCo by year-end, said he is satisfied that the corporation is on its way to a better economic life, as long as the reorganisation plan is adhered to.

“I am optimistic that it is a workable plan. But what we need to do is work the plan, stick to the plan and not deviate,” he said, pointing out that numerous opportunities exist for redundant workers, some of whom have already begun to benefit from alternative measures.

The CEO said where workers are interested in agriculture, training will begin next week and training for farmers who will guide the transitioning sugar workers is almost complete.
According to Hanoman, the intention is to “upskill” workers so that “come next year, once they have gone through some basic training, instead of bringing in contractors as we have been doing over the many years, is to bring in those very workers to help us repair bridges and other assets.”

“What it means as well is they will not only work with the industry as contractors, but in the communities as well.”
Hanoman said that of the 4000 workers who will be leaving, they will be trained in areas in which they are interested as part of the “Alternative Livelihoods Programme.” These include carpentry, mechanics and farming, among others.

Already on the West Bank, where some workers were laid off last year, at least 50 per cent of the cane needed at the Uitvlugt Estate is being produced by farmers.
Some workers, the CEO said, had applied for the land and they have already received it.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers, a London-based multinational company has been hired to help manage the transition process, and Hanoman said decisions regarding workers must take into consideration their needs and wants, families, ages and their various stages of life.
He said it is for this reason that surveys were conducted and other mechanisms were used to assess the needs of the recently made redundant workers. That information is to be processed.

Bhim explained that agriculture will be market-driven and agencies such as the Guyana Livestock Development Authority, the Guyana Marketing Corporation and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute are already on board and aiding where necessary.

The aim, he said, is to help create self-reliant communities and to develop communities along the sugar belt and reduce their heavy dependence on GuySuCo.
Although GuySuCo is a sugar-producing entity, it provides drainage, health and other services to some communities.