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Let’s avoid another GuySuCo white elephant

Jan 08, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Reference is made to the letter in your January 6 edition captioned “Adaptation of this technology will allow bagasse to be utilized more efficiently” that was submitted by Professor Suresh Narine.
The technology that Professor Narine referred to is the use of energy briquettes produced from bagasse; a by-product of the sugar cane generated after the shredding and squeezing of the juice from the cane stalks. Under normal circumstance the bagasse is either stored and recycled or sent directly to be burnt in the boilers to generate electricity from the turbines to be used in the factory and its environs, including the offices and staff housing compound.
I submit this letter from my personal knowledge of factory operations as former factory shift manager, and I must admit that I do sustain my curiosity in the happenings of the sugar industry.
Editor, whilst I carry no brief for either Mr. Vieira or Professor Narine, and at the same time commend Narine on his usual scholarly articles, including the one at reference, I wish to ask that caution be exercised in the commercialisation of this project; if not it could be another addition to the white elephants to this beleaguered company.
The crux of Narine’s support for this project is that this “technology will allow the bagasse to be utilized more efficiently, and will allow excess bagasse from some estates to be transferred inexpensively to those without bagasse”, as such by “using this approach GuySuCo can completely eradicate its dependence on costly firewood”. I note with interest, particular reference is made to Uitvlugt Estate that “typically runs out of bagasse”.
The problem lies not in the extensive use of firewood in the factories, but the erratic and unreliable cane supply that leads to extensive out of cane, and in the process less bagasse being generated and stored. Uitvlugt has been plagued for several years with extremely low weekly grinding hours and extensive hours of out of cane and as a consequence it always has to rely on firewood to generate power for the factory.
Editor, from the mid 1990’s to as recent as 2004, when GuySuCo produced 330,000 tonnes of sugar, firewood was only used on some estates during the boiling off process, and in some of these cases it was done because of poor storage facility that caused the bagasse to become wet during the inclement weather that coincides with the closure of both crops. Between the mid 1990’s and 2004 the sugar company produced between 275,000 to 330,000 tonnes sugar per year, and the weekly grinding hours ranged between 115–135 hours, whereupon more than adequate bagasse was stored in the logies.
GuySuCo needs to improve on both its quality (sucrose content) and quantity of cane if it’s to have a turnaround. Optimum cane supply not only enhances better factory time efficiency, but more importantly better overall recovery, which is measured by tonnes cane per tonne sugar (TC/TS). An improvement of cane supply will provide more than sufficient bagasse to sustain its power needs, and there will be no need to rely on either firewood or briquettes.
I would therefore urge Professor Narine to rethink the furtherance of this project and contemplate using the excess bagasse that GuySuCo will generate based on optimum cane supply to each of the factories to generate electricity to the national grid. Take my word, Professor Narine the more cane supply improves in the factory the more mature will be the gestation of another white elephant.
Ken Norman
Richmond Hill,
Queens, NYC

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