SEVERAL residents and employees of the Rose Hall Sugar Estate, in a recent edition of ‘Developmental Impact’, applauded the government for reopening the estate.

The ‘Developmental Impact’ series focused on the impacts the closure of the sugar state had on residents in not only Rose Hall, but surrounding communities.

Situated in Canje, East Berbice-Corentyne, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) estate, was incorporated in 1976 and has since primarily exported bulks of sugar internationally. In 1978 the estate was awarded the Medal of Service for exceptional performance and was among the best sugar producing estates until its untimely closure in 2017 when the previous APNU+AFC administration halted operations.

The estate was home to approximately 2,500 sugar workers, of which 1,181 were retrenched. Remaining workers were transferred to the Blairmont Estate in West Coast Berbice and the Albion Estate on the Corentyne. The estate was reopened last September.

In the series, residents underscored how the shutting down of the estate had a negative impact on not only them but their community, resulting in many having to find jobs elsewhere.

A resident, who was only identified as Edmond who had started working on the estate in 1964 at the age of 16, expressed that it is a ‘good thing’ that the estate was reopened, as persons want a livelihood, and want to move on with their lives.

It was stated that now that operations have resumed, people will be happier, with jobs being provided for residents, along with a steady income to maintain their families.

According to an October 2023 article published by this newspaper, it was stated that this major development aligns with the government’s broader efforts to strengthen the agricultural sector, ultimately enhancing livelihoods and contributing to global food security.
Additionally, through its training centre at Port Mourant which was founded in 1957 by Booker Sugar Estates as the premier technical and vocational school in Guyana and the Caribbean, GuySuCo has successfully trained more than 3,400 youths.

The training facility has since moulded craftsmen and women, engineers, managers and entrepreneurs who continue to contribute greatly to Guyana’s economy.

Factory Manager, Vikram Seepersaud who is a product of the training centre shared that he attended the facility in 1986 and has since worked his way up from apprenticeship to his current position.

He stated, “When you look around GuySuCo, most of the management staff of the factories are ex-apprentices, products of the training school and if we look around the world, all the countries will have apprentices representing us. So, we are proud being apprentices.”

At present, Seepersaud noted that there are currently 15 apprentices from the training centre are at the Rose Hall Estate.