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He noted that in the past, GuySuCo had operated on long crops, more specifically, two crops that lasted between 13 and 20 weeks, bringing the total weeks of production to 32 to 40.
Shorter crop periods
However, he said that because of changing weather patterns, the corporation now has to restructure to function within shorter crop periods of approximately 10 to 12 weeks.
“So one of the things they need to do is a strategy of how to shorten their crops to take maximum advantage of opportunity days, this means doubling up,” he stated.
In addition, the minister advised that there is a labour issue which underscores the need for mechanisation in the industry. He added that the mechanisation exercise has been ongoing for some time, and a focus during the meeting was to determine how to accelerate this exercise.
He pointed out that the Enmore Sugar Estate has recently moved to mechanized harvesting, in addition to manual harvesting.
Improving yield
He further related that another reason for the meeting was to examine ways of improving agricultural practices in order to improve yield.
“Presently, we have between 55 and 60 tonnes of cane per hectare. We need to improve that to over 70 tonnes per hectare so that we get more cane from the same amount of land and therefore we have to examine the agricultural practices that are in use in the industry today,” he explained.
Moreover, Dr. Ramsammy noted that the variety of cane being used also has to be examined. He pointed out that the infrastructure, such as dams and canals, have to be improved to facilitate more work being done in a shorter period of time.
According to the minister, another topic that was discussed at the meeting was how to increase the participation of the private sector in the sugar industry.
He pointed out that some 500 acres of GuySuCo land have already been allocated to private farmers in Uitvlugt, on the West Coast of Demerara, and it is intended that another 500 acres be allocated by the next crop.
He disclosed that approximately 45 percent of the cane produced at the Uitvlugt Estate is through private cane farmers. Additionally, he mentioned that approximately 170,000 tonnes of cane is being produced by private cane farmers for the Skeldon factory.
Dr. Ramsammy stated that overall, about 15 percent of the cane used in the industry comes from private farming, but they are looking to increase this to about 25 percent, with the hope of reaching an eventual 40 percent overall.
Value-added products
Another important point discussed at the meeting, according to the minister, was how to increase value-added products, such as increasing the amount of packaged sugar rather than bulk sugar.
He added that ways of reducing the cost of production were also discussed, in addition to the Skeldon factory. The Skeldon factory had been touted as the flagship of the sugar industry, but has been experiencing a number of issues since its commissioning in 2009. South African firm, Bosch, has been contracted to execute the modifications to fix those problems.
The minister noted that the modification works had delayed the starting of the crop at that estate, but nevertheless, the works are almost completed and the factory began its operations last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, he advised that so far, approximately 26,000 tonnes of sugar has been produced for this crop, and he emphasised that it is expected that the 70,000 tonnes targeted for this crop will be achieved.
Dr. Ramsammy reiterated that every industry must restructure and reorient from time to time, and this is what is happening with the sugar industry at present.
Sugar is Dead
“We are in the middle of that and during those times when you are making changes to adapt to new realities, it might look like things are going down, but I am confident that in a short period of time, GuySuCo will again attain and surpass its glory days,” he asserted.
The minister further said, “I don’t believe what many commentators and opposition people are saying, that sugar is dead in Guyana. Sugar is alive in Guyana and the glory days are not over.”
He stated that they are working towards improving the production so that that, by 2015, it can achieve 300,000 tonnes and then 400,000 tonnes between 2015 and 2018.
