THIS editorial is based on excerpts of the assimilations and suggestions, which reflects the general consensus of the former staffing component of the Rose Hall ´adumbrated by one former senior staffer. Notably, this employee was always butting heads with management over their anti-people, insensitive management style, behaving like colonial overlords to the detriment of productivity, as well as on great wastage and alleged misappropriation of estate resources such as fuel, etc.

The former GuySuCo employee singled out the Rose Hall Sugar Estate and laid out the negatives and positives that he considers had impacted the sugar industry nationwide.

According to him, in the ´60s, ´70s, ´80s and even ´90s, sugar was contributing to 32 per cent of the GDP in Guyana. Slowly but surely, cost of production started to rise and actual production had dropped, so that only a few estates were barely achieving their targets. Among contributing factors to the decline, apart from bad management practices, were high wages for workers demanded by sugar unions, with losses due to frequent strikes; workers making demands for o/t (overtime) for jobs that could be achieved in an eight-hr shift; adverse use of some chemicals such as ripeners, and poor tillage and harvesting practices.

He opined that Rose Hall Estate is unique, as it sits on the bank of the Canje Creek and caters to an entire community — from Mara to No 1 to New Forest. Businesses in New Amsterdam,the Corentyne and Canje thrived when Rose Hall Estate was working. He averred that, with the closure of the estate, that part of Region Six has stagnated and is suffering due to lack of job opportunities. Following are some excerpts from suggestions he proffered, based on research and consultations with former work associates that he is convinced can contribute to resuscitating and operationalising the Rose Hall Estate.

He listed proper tillage practice as a major factor, as sugar cane is a deep-rooted crop and has to be properly treated to produce more than five ratoons or more. It needs deep-root penetration so that it could find water, which is a top factor in cane growth. Among other prerequisites are:   

1. The use of wheel-type machines as opposed to using track machines. It has been proven that wheel machines have greater compaction than track.

2. Using the right tillage implement. GuySuCo has been using small-disc implements such as the 20-22 harrow to till. On the surface all looks well, but when the cane root reaches the hard pan at 11,” it would flatten out. The results are poor cane quality and stunted growth. Using a 10-32 attached to a D6 or D8 would certainly give greater depth and also the use of tines on these same machines could boost cane yields.

3. Operators given jobbing to till. GuySuCo has opportunity days and machine availability. Cane does not grow with figures, but needs proper ploughing techniques,

4. Proper shaping of beds is very important because, although cane needs water to grow, water-logged beds are detrimental to cane growth; hence, a need for adequate run-off systems.

5)   The practice of plough and plant is another component cited for qualitative and quantitative plant growth.
Canefields were once ploughed and rested for a period of three to six months. Those fields were flooded and abandoned so as to inject new life into the soil. The plant and animal life reproduced during that period added nutrients to the soil.

6)   Sugar cane germination, as well as yield is affected by planting material, layout, plant-population, method of planting and placement of buds, etc.

7)   Choosing the right variety would definitely boost the TCTS.

8)   Harvesting practices in Guyana is cut and load. Years ago, cane loaders were introduced, but these loaders could not operate even in a light drizzle because of the sliding factor. The operators were forced to load with the loaders, skidding as they went, tearing up the ratoons and sending mud to the boilers. A lot of canes were left on the ground,
Rose Hall Estate cultivation is basically Dutch and English beds. The short runs on the Dutch beds are not recommended for mechanisation and there is need for wholesale conversion.
Install a punt dumper at Rose Hall and eliminate the use of slings, which are costly, waste of good cane falling into the mill dock and the cost of punt and mill dock cleaning Introduce billet hauling and eliminate creek crossing for Providence canes. Canes have to cross with tides, resulting in several lost lives.

With conversion, there can be full mechanisation in harvesting. The BGI {burning to grinding interval} is critical.   When the canes are burnt, the longer it takes to reach the mills the higher the TCTS. With full mechanisation, the BGI effect would not be in play.  Reaping green is employed by all of the major sugar-producing countries and it is environmentally friendly and sugar cane does not deteriorate.

Recommendations are: select a competent, semi-automous management team operating from within the Ministry of Agriculture; purchase the right machines and implements and lubricants from machine manufacturers for tillage, harvesting and planting; upgrade the factory and put in a punt dumper; select a team – manager and staff to liaise between Rose Hall and GuySuCo, located at head office to organise spares, sugar-shipping, chemicals, stationery, etc; and negotiate for training visits to countries such as Brazil, Australia and India to optimise best operational practices.