Latest update April 24th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 16, 2009 News
Guyana has finally stopped the importation of sugar, with the last shipment being made during the first week of October.
This is according to Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo), Errol Hanoman, who during a press conference on Wednesday, told the media that a total of 14,000 tonnes of sugar was imported into Guyana since the decision was taken to do so earlier in the year.
Guyana paid US$450 per ton of sugar from Guatemala. It was explained that GuySuCo had to import the commodity in order to facilitate the provision of sugar on the local market since the 2009 sugar crop was slated to commence later than expected.
At the time when the decision was made, the then CEO of GuySuCo, Nick Jackson, had indicated that in order to avoid any disruption of supplies, the Guyana Sugar Corporation would import bagged brown sugar for the local market.
Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, at that time also had noted that the decision to import sugar was taken strategically to get much of Guyana’s sugar into Europe, before the end of the sugar protocol, which expired at the end of September this year.
He claimed that GuySuCo made more money by importing sugar for consumption and by exporting the local sugar, for which it gets a premium price, while at the same time not compromising consumers demand.
But even as the Minister was comfortable with the arrangement, consumers were not happy with the quality of sugar on the local market.
“The proposal taken to the board is to import sugar to fill gaps, should there be a shortage of supply on the local market because of GuySuCo export. That gap in local consumption will be filled, so (imports) will be done on a needs basis,” Persaud had said.
Last year was a very tough year for GuySuCo, as the company ended the year with a deficit of more than $3B.
Over the years, GuySuCo has consistently been reviewing its production targets. Last year was no different and among the many excuses proffered were far reaching strikes, weather and loss of opportunity.
GuySuCo has come in for heavy criticisms over the past year, with its problems being compounded when the arbitration tribunal set up to deal with the wages dispute between the corporation and its workers, ruled that the company had to pay $1.3B to its workers.
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