Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 06, 2009 News
By Fareeza Haniff.
The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO) suffered a shortfall in 6,000 tons of sugar in the first crop.
According to Chairman of the Board of GUYSUCO, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, this is as a result of unpredictable weather pattern, the damage that was done to canes and the harvesting of overrun cane at the Skeldon Factory, because the new factory was not in operation.
“We had overrun cane and we lost in terms of the yield and sucrose content. We are going to make up for that in the second crop and we are looking forward to this crop to see what we will make out of these rehabilitation work this year, but it is not something with a quick fix solution,” Dr. Gopaul said.
He added that the industry suffered major set backs ever since 2005, as a result of unpredictable weather patterns, especially heavy rainfall.
GUYSUCO is hoping that this year would bring the company some good fortune. It is looking forward to push as much in the production drive, especially in planting.
“You cannot get sugar moving without the canes to the factory and when you stop and start the factory, you lose in the yield, in the juice extraction; you lose in the quality of production, and so we are hoping that we have all these areas sorted out.”
He added that what is being seen for two to three months of this year, may pose some problem for GUYSUCO in the sugar production drive.
In this regard, the sugar company is seeking to do a supply operation in the field, targeting a 20 percent replanting exercise.
He added that the major problem with the sugar industry has to do with the supply of cane to all the factories.
According to Dr. Gopaul, the sugar company will embark on this replanting exercise because of the weather conditions experienced between January and March, when the company was unable to make significant inroads in land preparation.
The company intends to fully utilize the 60 opportunity days this year, by bringing in private contractors and to even move into greater amount of land preparation.
“All the opportunity days will be utilised and we would work overtime to ensure that the land preparation is undertaken, and then we move into planting. We may not be able to do all the planting this year, but we will move early into the next year and ensure that all the land that has been prepared, be out into sugar cane cultivation,” Dr. Gopaul said.
He explained that the water has damaged several areas of the cultivation as sometimes two to three feet of plants are damaged in these fields.
“We are going to replant all those areas at Albion and 265 hectares of land. Young cane plants were damaged at Skeldon as a result of heavy rainfall.”
The Skeldon factory was in full operation, and works are currently taking place to prepare the factory for the second crop. That project is on schedule and electricity is being produced by the Guyana Power and Light Company. The various components of the factory are up and working, and we do hope that there would be a successful second crop.
The private cane farmers are coming on board and are expanding their operation.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
Apr 19, 2024
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