–investments seen as driving force behind estate’s high productivity

OVER $50 million has been expended so far on factory repairs at the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, West Coast Demerara, which continues to perform above average.

Recovery at the estate, after a dismal 2020, is imminent, as it has already surpassed its target for this week by achieving the production of 1,006 metric tonnes of sugar. According to a statement from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Manager of the Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, Yudhisthira Mana, is attributing the improvement in productivity to the workers’ resilience, the injection of over $50 million towards factory repairs conducted prior to commencement of the first crop of 2021 and, most importantly, the continued confidence of the private farmers in the ability of the estate’s management to produce sugar of the highest quality.

The Uitvlugt estate- one of three operational estates managed by GuySuCo- is capable of producing 44,000 metric tonnes of sugar, but this can only be achieved if private farmers utilise the lands which are leased to them. Over the past few years, this estate has been producing on average just over 30,000 metric tonnes of sugar annually, mainly because the contribution of private farmers has declined significantly.

However, it is evident that production is on the rise, and the management of the estate is crediting this to the resilience of sugar workers and the interventions by central government.

In 2020, the corporation was allocated a sum of $7 billion; $3 billion was used to recapitalise the Rose Hall, Skeldon, and Enmore sugar estates while the remaining $4 billion was allocated to support rehabilitation works at the Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion sugar estates. A further $2 billion was included in Budget 2021 for capital works to be carried out at the various sugar estates across the country.

According to GuySuCo, interventions at the three operating estates – Uitvlugt, Blairmont and Albion- proved to be the right mix as workers defied all odds, shattering several production targets for the week ending March 13, 2021.

Specific to the Uitvlugt estate, the corporation said that during the initial days of the first crop, 2021, GuySuCo’s engineering corps, along with all factory teams, worked diligently to rectify major defects observed during the pre-crop factory trials also known as steam trials.

Testimony to the positive results of those interventions was the 125 grinding hours recorded last week at the Uitvlugt factory. This, according to GuySuCo, is a significant improvement compared to 116 the previous week. At Uitvlugt, the factory is expected to grind for 130-135 hours per week.
So far, the Uitvlugt Estate has harvested a total of 416 hectares (42 per cent of which was provided by private farmers).

Both the private farmers and the estate used semi-mechanical and manual harvesting techniques to harvest more than 28,000 metric tonnes of cane to produce 2,068 metric tonnes of sugar over a two-week period of operations.

As a result of the improved efficiency of factory operations, sugar productivity levels continue to climb steadily from approximately 14.5 tonnes cane per tonne sugar (TCTS) to an average of 12.97 TCTS.
The estate has more access to improved cane transport routes and factory operation in 2021 compared to 2020, which directly contributed to this improved performance.

Notable improvements pertaining to the factory’s operations this crop include increased power generation due to repairs in the power house; a better mix of bagasse/fossil fuel usage contributing to reduction in cost; better quality of sugar cane harvested because of the strategy in the industry to go back to the basics in the agronomical practices and getting the nutrients for the plant on time; and less extraneous matters as a result of repairs to cane dumper conducted prior to crop.

Other improvements include better quality sugar crystals due to repairs completed at the crystallisers and a new boiler chimney which is allowing better combustion and performance in the boilers and more consistent steam generation on the estate.

Commenting on the estate’s performance so far, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GuySuCo, Sasenarine Singh, firstly commended not only Uitvlugt, but all the teams from the various estates for their resilience, resourcefulness and resolve to ‘sweat’ the assets to create greater value opportunities from the investments made.

He also thanked them for pushing production and the sale of packaged sugar, as the industry shifts its focus to meeting the needs of all customers by providing products of greater value, packaged hygienically. Singh also reiterated that the price for packaged sugar has not increased.

Cognisant of the fact that a diversion from the traditional bulk production of sugar is needed if the ailing industry is to recover and regain its vitality and position as a contributor to economic growth, the government has already initiated plans to ensure that, by 2025, 61 per cent of industry sales come from value-added products.

Instead of being a liability to the National Treasury, the industry will soon be able to “stand on its own,” through the implementation of innovative mechanisms, Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, was reported as saying.
“In 2020, some 29 per cent of the industry’s sales were from the higher value packaged sugar. In 2021, we anticipate this will grow to some 39 per cent,” Minister Mustapha had said.

The overarching plan, however, is to ensure that a minimum of 61 per cent of the sales from the industry are generated from the value-added, packaged sugar line in four years.

“In 2021, the plan is to expand and further develop feasibility studies which support GuySuCo’s value-added potentials, including, but not limited to, ethanol and agro-energy,” Minister Mustapha had said.

The corporation has since set a target to produce approximately 97,420 metric tonnes of sugar by year-end and breathe new life into the country’s sugar industry.